


Starcrossed

by LoveLoveLovix



Series: The Course of True Love Trilogy [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, Retelling, The Titan's Curse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2013-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-23 01:45:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveLoveLovix/pseuds/LoveLoveLovix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoë's lost every person she has ever loved. Thalia's been hurt over and over. And both girls are seriously unable to trust each other. However, when the two teens are forced into cooperating so they can save the goddess Artemis, they may strike up sparks. Or rather, ignite the sparks that have existed between them for seven years...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Wish I Was A Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thalia is doomed, and once that it is past, seriously bitter.

_Thalia Grace_

When I heard the hunting horn for the first time in years… well, that's when I knew I was doomed. I couldn't even appreciate that we were fighting a losing battle, and this was the help we needed to make sure I didn't wish I was still a tree. I couldn't even be happy that Dr. Manti-Thorn had just been hit by an incredibly accurate silver arrow. I couldn't even grimace when the monster man said the same thing I had just been thinking. "No. It cannot be…"

He was wailing in agony, so at least my distraction wasn't deadly. He shot poison spikes towards them, not towards my friends and I, and I knew they could take care of themselves. They'd certainly proven that they could. Thorn pulled out the arrow lodged in his shoulder, and I saw Percy try to take a swipe at him. When Thorn's tail hit him, he was knocked aside, not hurt enough to need any help, but definitely looking a bit surprised. That expression only became more pronounced when the Hunters emerged from the woods.

 _She_ was in the lead, of course. Even in front of Lady Artemis. Ugh. _That girl_ had an ego larger than Greece.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth exclaimed. She remembered. Of course she would. Our experience with them wasn't something either of us would forget. What confused me was the sound of slight excitement in her voice, as if she were a little bit happy to see them. Granted, they just saved our butts… but we probably could have handled Thorn ourselves. Probably.

Maybe she had changed her mind about the girls. I tried not to show how horrible that idea made me feel. I couldn't resist muttering "Oh, wonderful," though.

When _she_ stepped forward with her dark, blemish-free, coppery skin and her little silver circlet perched perfectly in her hair, I resisted the urge to gag. I had to bite my lip though, especially when she addressed Artemis, not even looking at the goddess, as if she were an Olympian herself. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

Thorn started whining about how horrible it was, how it wasn't fair. I was about to poke him with my spear and start on about how life isn't fair, _I_ got turned into a magical _tree,_ came back about three or four years younger than my best friend, and pretty much wished I was still topiary a few times every day- but Artemis beat me to the punch. "Not so. The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoë, permission granted."

 _She_ smirked. _She_ knew all along that she'd get to be the big hero. The Hunters probably rescued us just to humiliate me.

Thorn made a guttural noise with his throat, and then smiled a horrible, evil, monster grin. "If I cannot have these alive… I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at me and Percy. I didn't have time or strength to raise Aegis, and barely enough strength to close my eyes to my coming doom. _And now we're gonna die,_ I thought. _Zoë will be so pleased._

"No!"

I opened my eyes to see Annabeth charging the monster. _Oh my gods. No._

"Get back, half-blood!" Zoë yelled. I could see a flicker of concern in her eyes, and decided that she probably only vaguely remembered this girl… one who was once too young to join the Hunt, dependent on me and my best friend. "Get out of the line of fire!"

Annabeth didn't listen, and if Zoë's brain worked the way I thought it did, that simple, brave action would be taken for stupidity. Zoë didn't tolerate stupidity, or anything she thought was such. That meant her next word would be… "Fire!"

I could hear Percy scream as the Hunters of Artemis let their arrows loose. All of them caught Thorn, but as he stumbled off the cliff we were standing on, promising that the Hunters would pay, her took Annabeth with him.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried, running after her. But when bullets began to rain onto the ground, he was forced to look up.

Artemis did as well. "Mortals are not allowed to witness my hunt," she stated calmly before a motion of her hand transformed a helicopter I hadn't seen into a flock of beautiful ravens. As they scattered across the dark sky, she and her followers walked towards Percy, Grover, Bianca, Nico and me. They looked dangerous, beautiful, and slightly curious. They looked exactly like I remembered them, age and all. The only difference I could even guess at was a girl I hadn't seen before, probably added in the last few years. Missing out on me wasn't such a big deal, apparently. There would always be someone ready to jump at a chance to join the Hunters.

As they got nearer to us, their eyes flickered between our group. I watched Zoë's expression warily, waiting for her smug comment. To my surprise, when she saw me, the only word she said was, "You!"

It was a complicated word. There was an outer layer of hatred, anger, betrayal, distaste. But I could hear deeper. I could hear statements, like, _I never thought I would see you again,_ and _You have… changed,_ and _Since when do you, Thalia Grace, need help?_

I shoved the complicated answers to these complicated unsaid questions back. "Zoë Nightshade," I said as evenly as I could, but even I could hear my voice quivering. "Perfect timing, as usual."

She didn't answer… it was as if she couldn't hear me. "Four half bloods and a satyr, my lady," she said in a monotonous voice, as if she were discussing the weather.

Artemis nodded. "Yes, some of Chiron's campers, I see."

Percy, who had been standing in confusion, seemed to regain some nerve. "Annabeth. You have to let us save her!"

Artemis turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson. But your friend is beyond help." He tried to run to the edge of the cliff anyway… _stupid Percy…_ but Phoebe and Chrysanthe held him down. "You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the goddess continued, in an admonishing tone.

"Let me go!" he screamed. "Who do you think you are?"

I saw Zoë move towards him, her hand raised, and I lost the last bit of respect I had for her. Did she really have no sense of the grief he was feeling? Had losing everyone she had ever had _that sort_ or feelings for made her as cold and heartless as she looked? Her name might have meant life, but looking at her, about to hit Percy, I knew that she didn't know anything about life, anything at all.

"No," Artemis ordered, and Zoë put her arm down, a look of disgust on her pretty little face. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë- he is simply distraught, he does not understand." She turned to look at Percy, who looked pathetic and small stretched onto the ground, restrained by two immortal girls. "I am Artemis, goddess of the Hunt."

"Um… okay?" he said, voice weak.

I heard a squee of delight that couldn't have come from him, and I glanced over my shoulder to where Grover was kneeling. "Thank you, Lady Artemis!" he babbled. "You're so… you're so… wow!"

I glared at him. "Get up, Goat Boy," I said in a tone harsher than I meant to. Zoë had that affect on me. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

"Whoa, hold up, time out."

I looked in the direction of the voice. Bianca di Angelo had her mouth hanging open, her fingers moving like she was trying to figure out what was happening and it was some sort of equation. "Who… who are you people?"

"It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are _you?_ Who are your parents?" Artemis has visibly softened, was trying to be kind and make it easy on Bianca, but I still had to resist the urge to bump the goddess out of the way. Bianca didn't _know._ She couldn't know. That's why we were here. It was the job of the heroes to break the "one of your parents is an immortal Greek god" news. The Hunters… they just were there to annoy the crap out of people and look pretty. Hence why Zoë was second in command- she did excellently at both.

As I predicted, Bianca glanced around nervously, then said, "Our parents are dead. We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but… what? I'm telling the truth."

I guess nobody really looked that trusting.

Artemis and I opened our mouths at the same time, likely both intending to break the news gently. But before either of us could, Zoë said, "You are a half-blood. One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian… athlete?" I bit my lip so I didn't say something I regretted. Something that would drive Bianca to the side of the Hunters.

"No," Zoë said, a slight smug undertone to her voice. _She knows she's winning this._ "One of the gods."

"Cool!" yelled Nico. I had almost forgotten he was there.

Bianca's voice quavered, and I could see her eyes beginning to water. "No. This is not cool."

Nico went off on a tangent about some stupid game, and Bianca began to yell at him… a typical argument between an older sister and a younger brother. I felt a sharp pang at that, but put it out of my mind. Instead, I concentrated on my goal. I had to win Bianca over. I couldn't let another girl fall to Zoë and her supernatural charms, and I definitely couldn't do it if it meant that another family would be split up. The whole situation was too close to my heart. I felt myself about to cry, so I took a few deep breaths, tried to regain my cool. That wasn't easy, being a daughter of Zeus and all, but I achieved it. "Bianca," I said, "I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… our lives are dangerous."

"Dangerous like the girl who fell." Bianca's eyes challenged me to disagree, to tell her that it was only a trick of the light, even though we both knew it wasn't. I couldn't take it. I looked away.

"Do not despair for Annabeth," Artemis said kindly. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

"Then why won't you let us go look for her?" Percy demanded.

"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."

I could see that Percy didn't like it, but he believed it. He finally calmed some.

"Oooooooh!" Nico said, raising his hand as if this were school. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

"He was a manticore," the goddess explained. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They reform over and over again... and they must be hunted whenever they appear."

I nodded. "Or they'll hunt _us_." _Maybe if Bianca knows there are ways monsters can be prevented from hunting demigods, maybe then she'll trust me._

The new demigod girl shivered. "That explains..." and the siblings were off, talking about all the odd sightings they had. Again, I felt a twinge in my stomach. They were so lucky, and they didn't even know.

"That's why Grover has been watching you," Percy cut in. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

"Grover?" Bianca looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "You're a demigod."

"Well, a satyr, actually."

When he took his shoes off, I thought Bianca was going to cry. The only thing that kept me from laughing was that I needed her on my side. "Grover, put your shoes back on, you're freaking her out."

"Hey, my hooves are clean!"

Percy smiled, then grew serious again, as if he remembered what happened to Annabeth. "Bianca, we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" Bianca asked.

"Camp Half-Blood. It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us... stay there year-round, if you like."

"Sweet!" Nico cried. "Let's go!"

But Bianca hesitated, unsure. _Oh gods, it's starting,_ I thought miserably. _They have her._

Zoë's smugness became a tad more pronounced. "There _is_ another option..." she hinted.

I could feel myself growing angry. "No!" I insisted. "There isn't!"

Zoë stared at me, her eyes challenging me. _Do you want to go that route?_ they asked. And you know what? I did. I wanted to pull her hair like I was five years old and stick out my tongue. I wanted her to charge at me, even though I knew she wouldn't. Not in front of her precious Lady Artemis.

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis decided. "Zoë, we will rest here for a few hours." The smug girl broke our staring match as she turned to face the goddess. "Raise the tents, treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings at the school," she ordered.

"Yes, my lady," Zoë agreed, though it seemed she couldn't resist a hateful glance back at me.

"And Bianca," Artemis continued, "come with me. I would like to speak with you."

My mind went blank. _I knew this would happen_. But knowing didn't take the edge off, not one bit. This was the last time I'd see a normal Bianca. Without me in there, or someone who knew the dangers of the Hunters, Bianca would easily accept their offer to become one of them. I mean, it seemed like a great package deal. Immortality. Sisterhood. Nobody to break your heart.

But that was the thing. That's how it was on paper. That's how it was if you were official. And it never said anything about breaking the hearts of other people.

It didn't stop Zoë from ripping my heart to shreds.


	2. The Hunters Take a Field Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zoë is scared out of her wits not once, but twice- once for her ex-girlfriend, and once for her goddess.

_Zoë Nightshade_

It did not take long for the Hunters to set up the tents where we slept, talked, and healed. Chrysanthe blew for the wolves and falcons to come. Having known we would be meeting demigods, they had stayed under the cover of trees while we hunted the manticore. No need to scare them.

I looked over at the demigods. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, was sitting at the fire, his face heavy. I could tell that he believed himself to love the half-blood who had fallen over the cliff. Annabeth, I thought her name was. I vaguely remembered her. Seven years ago, the Hunters had found her and… I couldn't even bring myself to think the other name.

No, that was not very strong of me, not very Hunter-like at all. I forced myself to whisper it. " _Thalia_."

I looked around our camp for her. I found her sitting so still at the foot of a large tree. For a moment, I doubted that it was Thalia at all. She never could sit still. Besides, as I thought about it, would not she have been older? She was twelve when we… well, she was twelve when we last met, and though by all rights she should be nineteen and grown now, she looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. _She still looks older than I do,_ I thought with a start. As I had for many, many years now, I looked not a day older than fourteen years old. Barely old enough to be considered grown. In fact, lately in society, I would not be.

Thalia got up and began to pace, threading through the wolves. She knew them, from the times we spent with them seven years ago. I wondered if she was thinking of them… if she thought of me. I knew she remembered the fight we had from the expression on her face.

I watched her turn to face that miserable school we had rescued Bianca and her brother from. I would have liked to ask her what she was thinking of. Only a few years ago, we would have sat in the snow and shared the thoughts we had. Those days were gone and good riddance to them.

I saw Magia and Sabina running silently back to camp, carrying a couple of bags each. I assumed that the one in deep, nightly purple belonged to Bianca, while the one with that infernal animated sponge was Nico's. I nodded at my two sisters, and they broke from each other. One positioned herself outside the tent of Lady Artemis, waiting to hand Bianca her belongings, not paying much attention to the bag I believed was Thalia's. It was good to know I was not the only one who remembered what she had done. The other went to the small group of males that huddled around the fire. She dropped the bags near Percy, then walked away to join her sisters.

I walked to Magia, the Hunter waiting for Bianca. "I relieve thou of thy responsibility," I said, taking the bags from her. "I must speak to Lady Artemis as it is."

Magia smiled gratefully. She was almost as old as I was, being from the days of the Roman Empire. Many of their females had preferred to become Amazons, but she and Sabina- sisters- had preferred the traditional, Greek ways. I was glad of it. In our centuries of being Hunters, we had become good friends.

Quietly, reverently, I lifted the flap that led into the tent of Artemis. "I have brought thou thy belongings," I said.

Artemis smiled at me, and I felt pleased, as I always did. To an outside observer, I was sure I looked as though I was in love with the goddess. It was not so. Artemis had an aura about her if you were a young maiden, within her sphere of influence. You wanted to please her. I did not mind so much. She was my savior. Perhaps my devotion ran deeper.

I glanced at Bianca, who was small and scared and nervous. She reminded me of… of Thalia Grace, at age twelve. As it had when I met the Daughter of Zeus, my desire to protect this small girl scared me. I smiled at her… reassuringly, I hoped. My sisters liked to mock my smile, saying I needed more practice.

"Zoë," my goddess said warmly. "I'm happy you're here. Is everything set up nicely?"

"As you desired, my lady."

She rewarded me with another smile. "I have a task for you. Will you please go fetch Percy?"

I am certain my face betrayed my shock. "The boy?"

"Yes, Zoë, the boy. I believe I need to clear up a few things with him."

I nodded stiffly. "Very well." I turned and left the tent, heading towards the fire. _Why would Lady Artemis need to speak with a male? This is so terribly wrong._

I stopped a few feet away from him and his two male friends, careful not to give them any ideas. "Percy Jackson."

I was amused as he straightened up slightly. I knew Hunters had that affect on people. Possibly especially me. Before I was a Hunter, I had been a nymph, and for some reason everyone fell in love with nymphs the moment they saw them. It could be quite annoying. Besides Hercules, getting away from that bothersome trait was why I chose to follow the goddess of the hunt. Sadly, it had not seemed to do away with that effect.

"Come with me," I continued. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

He followed me to Artemis's tent, and I motioned for him to enter. I watched his face as he obliged, and nearly smiled with the wonder flittering across it. The goddess's tent was quite lovely, especially if one had never seen it before. Artemis allowed a faint ghost of a smile to flicker on her own lovely face. "Join us, Percy Jackson," she said.

He sat across from her, and she stared at him intensely. "Are you surprised by my age?" she questioned.

"Uh, a little." _What a son of Poseidon. He has all the eloquence of the water._

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want," Artemis said, her voice aloof and proud. "But this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?"

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure." Her eyes narrowed. "Forget themselves."

"Oh," he said, sounding as though he were dumb.

I walked over to Artemis's right side and sat down carefully, watching Percy, wanting to see how he reacted. He fancied himself in love with the half-blood maiden Annabeth. Would my lady's speech make him reconsider?

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis explained. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp… which one was it?"

I thought. "That boy in Colorado," I decided finally. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah yes, I enjoy making jackalopes." She nodded, remembering. Eventually, she continued. "At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the… mmmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

We listened, the goddess, Bianca, and I. I tried to work out what the boy was telling me, tried to come up with something that made sense. Something that related to the… _thing_ we hunted. But nothing I could think of would fit into Percy's tale.

As Percy finished, Artemis stroked her bow thoughtfully. "I feared this was the answer."

"The scent, my lady?" I asked, straightening and trying to think even harder.

"Yes."

Percy looked confused. "What scent?"

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia. Prey so old I have nearly forgotten." Her voice was quiet. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'" _Stupid boy._

"No, no, after that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."

_The General? No. No, it cannot be._ I turned to Artemis, wanting anything, comfort, help, assurance that Percy had heard wrong. As I was about to beg for something, she raised her hand, telling me to remain silent. "Go on, Percy," she said.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot."

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah, and he said 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all- the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"

Artemis stilled, and the rest of the room followed. I could hear the wind whispering outside. It was chilling.

"Maybe he was lying?" Percy suggested. _Idiot boy._

Artemis shook her head, sad. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

I attempted to breathe deeply. It did not do much to calm me. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

She knew how terrified I was. I felt ashamed. "But, Artemis!" I protested, wanting to prove that I was not as fearful as I may have appeared.

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."

Her voice was harsh, but I knew it was true. She needed to begin at my home... and I could never return there. If I had been another, yet with my strength, maybe I could follow her. But I was not. I was Zoë, and that would not change. "As... as you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis promised, her voice dangerous. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

"You know what the monster is?" asked Percy.

"Let us pray I am wrong."

Percy looked stupidly at my goddess. "Can goddesses pray?"

Artemis smiled at the thought. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"

"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" I demanded. "But Artemis, we hate that place! The last time we stayed there..." _Well, she knows, and I remember she does not like to hear this tale._

She sighed. "Yes, I know. But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

"Foolish campers," I cursed. "Must they be so horrible to us?" We would not have set fire to the camp if they had not told us that it was the only way to prevent monsters from getting in. Chiron later explained that the camp did not operate under a fire shield, but under an elaborate web of blessings to dispell the monsters. How were we to know? We still got blamed for the fire of nineteen eighty three, though.

Artemis turned to Bianca. "And now there is one last decision to make. Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

_Oh! Artemis has officially invited her to join the Hunters._ I did not know how I felt about this. Bianca reminded me of the twelve year old Thalia whom I had loved. Thalia broke my heart when she decided not to join. I worried that Bianca, too, would decline. At the same time... I worried she would accept.

The girl hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Wait, thinking about what?" asked Percy. Alarm played on his face.

"They... they've invited me to join the Hunt," Bianca explained.

"What! But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."

I sighed, a bothered noise that expressed my patience through this boy's idiocy. "It is _not_ the only way for a girl," I told both him and Bianca, hoping to clear up their confusion.

"Bianca!" Percy said, his voice slightly whiny, "camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and... I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

There were millions of ways I could have answered. Love. Sisterhood. The beauty of watching the dawn break on the forest. You were stronger as a Hunter, you did not feel too cold or too warm. There was always this sense of inner peace. One could not describe being a Hunter in words, so I went less for the metaphysical benefits and more towards what many wish to hear. "To begin with... immortality."

Percy stared at me, then at my lady. "She's kidding, right?" he asked.

Artemis chuckled. "Zoë rarely 'kids' about anything. My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal... unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

Breaking the oath, I knew, was not so likely either. There were indeed loopholes, loopholes that had allowed my love for Thalia.

"What oath?" Percy questioned.

"To foreswear romatic love forever," my lady said. I tried not not correct her. Yes, romantic love for another female was permitted. However, Artemis tried not to draw attention to it. Sisterhood, maidenhood, these were her domains. The definition of "maiden," however, changed as centuries went by. Now, whether a girl and a girl loved each other and... well... _consummated_ said love... whether that was a loss of maidenhood was up for debate. "To never grow up," she continued. "Never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?" he asked. Artemis nodded. He looked like he could not believe it. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods..."

"Not just half-bloods," I interrupted. The prejudices of demigods! Must they always believe themselves to be the highest on the food chain, sometimes not even under the gods themselves? "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals..."

"Which are you, then?"

Did I not have enough of my history to deal with without this boy trying to figure me out? "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy!What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

"Certainly not. He will go to camp," Artemis agreed. "Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" the boy protested.

"You can see him from time to time, but you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family, free of responsibility," Bianca echoed. I could hear the lust for this life in her voice. I was certain that tonight, I would gain a new sister. I smiled as the boy protested about how this situation was "nuts." It was nothing of the sort. It was wonderful.

Bianca looked up at me. "Is it worth it?" she asked.

I nodded. "It is."

"What do I have to do?" she asked, her voice quiet. She was still unsure, that I could tell.

I took a deep breath. "Say this. 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"

"I..." She stuttered, and for a moment I doubted that she would repeat the oath. However, she gulped and continued. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"

"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt. That's it?"

Again, I nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

We looked to Artemis. "I accept it," my lady assured.

The silver glow of the goddess's magic was cast over the room, filling Bianca with the utter peace and strength of so many young women, all of those under Artemis's patronage. I basked in it. It was what I lived for. I heard Bianca breathe deeply. "I feel stronger," she said.

"Welcome, sister," I smiled.

Artemis stared gravely at the newest Hunter. "Remember your pledge. It is now your life." Then she turned to the boy. "Do not despair, Percy Jackson. You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," he muttered. "How are we supposed to get there?" I wondered the same thing.

My lady closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching."

I immediately understood and tried not to express my displeasure. Maybe I misunderstood. "Zoë, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother." No. Sadly, I had not misunderstood.

I nodded my obedience, then took Bianca's hand. "Follow me. I shall introduce thou to the rest of thy sisters."

As we walked out of the main tent, Bianca paused in front of the boy. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really do," she explained.

We left, and I turned to my new sister. "You did not need to explain thyself to that boy."

"I know," Bianca said quietly. "But there is someone who does."

We looked at her brother, Nico. "You must explain to him swiftly. It is best if it is quick."

She nodded and headed over to him. As for me, I began to walk towards the rest of the Hunters. They had congregated around the fire, laughing and talking. "Sisters!" I called, and they all looked towards me.

I nodded my approval at their quick response. "I am pleased to announce that there is a new Hunter... Bianca di Angelo." My sisters smiled and cheered. It was always an occasion, getting someone new. "She will be along shortly, she must explain to her brother Nico. Until then, we have been instructed to take down the camp. We will be riding the sunrise to Long Island come morning... as we will be staying at the heroes camp."

"Why?" called a Hunter. Jennifer, I believed.

"Lady Artemis has godly business. We may not assist in this."

Jenn sighed. "I _hate_ camp."

Another Hunter, Rose, put her arm around Jenn. "We all do. It'll be alright."

I clapped my hands. "Now, to work! We will gather here as we finish."

I took the immediate area, the fire and it's logs. I put out the bright flames and cleaned the ashes, leaving no trace we had ever set a fire here. As I worked, I heard a male voice. I nearly jumped- I still wasn't used to it. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."

Another voice, Percy's. "How'd they even show up here? I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."

I smiled slightly. _Trade secrets, boy._

"And Bianca joined them!" I froze. It was Thalia's voice, and as I could expect, it was angry. However, I did not expect her next words. "It's all Zoë's fault. That stuck-up, no good..."

I sucked in a breath. Thalia's words were almost word for word the last thing she said to me before tonight. Did she remember too? Was she trying to hurt me? Did she know I was eavesdropping?

_"He will hurt and betray thou. Do not trust a hero."_

_The girl's eyes narrowed. Though she was only twelve years old, she seemed much older. It was part of living mythology. It could not be helped. "He won't. I won't."_

_"Why can't you just leave him? You are so..." I searched for the right word. "You are so stupid, Thalia Grace!"_

_Her eyes shone, like lightning. "And you're a stuck-up, no good bitch! I never want to see you again, Zoë Nightshade!"_

I gulped down a bit of air and waited for my sisters. One by one, they returned to me. Bianca was last. "Does thy brother understand thy decision?" I questioned, trying not to let distress show on my face.

Bianca looked uncomfortable. "Kind of. I mean, he was upset. But... this is what I want." She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, not me.

I slipped my hand into hers and squeezed. "All will be well with you and Nico in time. That is a promise, sister to sister." The smaller girl smiled. "Now, let me introduce the Hunters. You have met Phoebe and Chrysanthe... they are lower in command only to myself and Lady Artemis. The twins are Magia and Sabina. These four over here... they are Galatee, Echo, Livy, and Jane. Finally, on the other side of the fire are Mary, Rose, and Jennifer. Hunters of Artemis... this is Bianca"

There was more cheering. Many hugs and smiles. Bianca seemed to visibly loosen. She began to answer questions and ask her own. I tuned my sisters out, still distracted.

When finally the sky began to lighten, we walked over to the eastern edge of the clearing where we had camped for the night. When the first sight of the sun carriage appeared, we all averted our eyes. This entire situation had been played out before... and we learned the hard way that though Hunters could not easily die, they could easily go temporarily blind.

We had almost forgotten that Bianca didn't know about this. Luckily, Lady Artemis advised her. "Don't look. Not until he parks."

When finally Lord Apollo did park, he was in a car that was so shiny and flamboyant that it was a wonder he was not seen... a phenomenon due to Mist, no doubt. He climbed out of the car, and as he smiled, most of the Hunters frowned. Only Jennifer and Bianca, both too new to know any better, smiled back.

"Wow," I heard Thalia say, quietly. "Apollo's hot." Though I didn't like it, I could feel a stabbing pain shoot through me. A pain that was pure jealousy, hitting it's hardest.

"He's the sun god," Percy said, his voice confused.

"That's not what I meant," Thalia breathed. She had a look on her face that I knew well. The look was pure attraction. It spoke volumes about what she was feeling. With another sharp pain, I remembered the times when she would aim that look towards me.

Apollo did not seem to notice that Thalia lusted for him. He smiled at Lady Artemis. "Little sister! What's up? You never call… you never write… I was getting worried!"

Lady Artemis seemed exasperated as she answered. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

"Hey," the god said with mock indignity. "I was born first."

"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue?"

He ignored the question. "So, what's up? Got the girls with you, I see." The Hunters glared. Though we could not very well do anything about it, the demeaning way that Lord Apollo referred to us was something that never failed to make us angry. "You all need some tips on archery?" he added then, making the entire situation worse. Maybe we were not as good as the gods, but the Hunters of Artemis were the best and brightest archers out of all mortals.

My lady gritted her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do… alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

Apollo grinned. "Sure, sis." Suddenly, an odd expression came onto his face and he raised his hands, a silent commandment for silence. "I feel a haiku coming on." My sisters and I groaned. _Another blasted poem! This is one of the reasons I swore off boys forever._

Apollo cleared his throat. "Green grass breaks through snow/ Artemis pleads for my help/ I am so cool."

There was dead silence for a moment. Finally, Lady Artemis broke it. "That last line was only four syllables."

"Was it?"

"Yes. What about 'I am so big-headed?'"

"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmmmmm…"

I saw the three boys looking confused and figured that the least I could do would be to explain. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with 'There once was a goddess from Sparta…'"

"I've got it!" the god interrupted. "'I am so awesome.' That's five syllables." In an overdramatic show of flair, he bowed. As he straightened his body, his face also grew solemn. "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing… I was just about to roll."

"These demigods will also need a ride. Some of Chiron's campers," Artemis explained.

"No problem!" He looked at the group of four standing apart from the Hunters of Artemis. One in particular. "Let's see. Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed, and I tried not to feel hurt yet again. "Hi, Lord Apollo," she said shyly. Trying not to feel hurt was getting harder by the minute. The shy tone of voice she used was so attractive; it could drive a girl mad. Desperately, I wished to be over this girl. Thalia Grace was too capable of making me crazy. I did not like it. It was something about myself I could not control. It was something dangerous.

"Zeus's girl, yes?" Apollo asked, rhetorically of course. He was a god; he knew things about Thalia that she didn't know herself. For instance, possibly, her sexual identity. Apollo suddenly smiled. "Makes you my half-sister."

I allowed myself a tiny smile. Maybe that fact would push all thoughts of attraction out of Thalia's mind.

The god continued. "Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time…"

_Oh, so first thou remind her of your relation, and then thou call her pretty? If thou art "in to that", I know plenty of relations on Mount Olympus… and that's good, as thou will be afraid to leave if I ever get my hands on thou!_

Artemis glanced at me as I seethed. "Brother, you should get going," she said quickly, more for my benefit than for his.

"Oh, right," he said distractedly, before turning to one of the boys. "Percy Jackson," he murmured.

"Yeah," Percy responded. "I mean, yes, sir."

Apollo, for once, was silent. Sadly, it only lasted a moment. "Well, he said," ignoring all the tension of before, "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way. West. And if you miss it, you miss it."

Nico stepped forward and began to examine the sun chariot. "Cool car!" he said.

"Thanks, kid."

"But how will we all fit?"

Apollo stared at Bianca's brother as if he had invented nuclear fission. "Oh. Well. Yeah. I hate to change out of sports car mode," the god sighed, "but… I suppose."

He took out a small device and pressed a button. The car glowed and shifted into a larger vehicle. "Right, everybody in."

I nodded. "Hunters! Load up camp. Quickly, sisters! The sun may not wait forever."

I reached down and grabbed my own backpack and tent. I was close to the ground when someone bent down next to me. "You still have it bad for the daughter of Zeus, don't you?" said Lord Apollo. "I remember that you two dated. You were cute together then. Wish you two were still together. It can be fun watching you two making out." I stiffened for a moment, then came back up.

So did the god. He reached for my bags. "Here, sweetheart, let me get that," he said casually, as if that was all he had ever said. I stepped back, mainly so I didn't aim my bow at him. _I could not win against a god_ , said my logical mind, but Apollo was making me want to test those limits.

Artemis pursed her lips. "Brother… you do _not_ help my Hunters. You do _not_ look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do _not_ call them 'sweetheart.'"

Apollo shrugged. "Sorry, I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to anyway?"

"Hunting. It's none of your business."

"I'll find out," he threatened. "I see all. Know all."

Artemis half-laughed. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around."

"No, no! I never mess around," he promised. As he finished that sentence, he caught my eye and winked at me. I barely managed to stop myself from sending an arrow into his heart.

The lady did not look so sure about her twin brother's assurances. However, she turned to us. "I will see you by winter solstice," she vowed. "Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."

I straightened, trying to look as sharp as my clouded mind would allow. "Yes, my lady," I said.

My lady began the Hunt right in front of us, checking for any traces of the monster that she sought. "So much danger," she murmured. "The beast must be found."

With that, she ran towards the woods, gracefully. I watched for as long as I could, but she seemed to almost become part of the forest, and it was not long before I couldn't pick her out among the trees. And as she was out of sight, Apollo whistled. We all turned. "So, who wants to drive?" he asked.

There was dead silence again. When would the god learn how to be polite, or at least a little less awkward? He did, after all, have eternity. As quietly as I could… which, being a Hunter, was very quietly… I boarded the van, climbing as far into the back as possible. One by one, the Hunters followed, leaving the four others to answer to Lord Apollo.

As soon as we were on board, the chatter started where it left off. Bianca was already one of us- that much was obvious. I did not contribute much to the conversation, only sat back and listened. Between sentences that the Hunters said, I could hear snippits of conversation from Apollo and the demigods. When Apollo exclaimed "Daughter of Zeus, perfect!" I stopped listening to my sisters at all and paid more attention to the front.

"C'mon," Apollo said when I tuned my ears to focus on him, "How old are you?"

_Twelve,_ I thought automatically. It was how old she was when... but wait, that was seven years ago. _Thalia's nineteen? Oh, wait, I already knew that. Tis easy enough to forget...  
_

She didn't answer that immediately. When she did answer, it was in her shy voice again, too low for me to hear.

Apollo seemed to correct her. "You're fifteen. Almost sixteen."

_Wait._ I suddenly knew what this was about. _They kept up the who-wants-to-drive conversation. Apollo wants Thalia to drive._

_Thalia is afraid of heights._

I stood, intent on going up there and setting him straight. However, as I rose, a small hang grasped my wrist. "Where are you going, Zoë?" It was Bianca. And... oh no... she had a shy voice. It was almost as endearing as Thalia's shy voice, too.

I sat. "I just had to stretch my legs. They are tired, cooped up in here."

Bianca and some of the other newer girls accepted that. Most of the Hunters did, actually. But I could see Phoebe and Chrysanthe looking at me with concern. _Are you alright?_ Phoebe mouthed. I nodded.

_Thalia can take care of herself, right?_

_No. She can't. That's why she needed me._

_Then why did she let me go?_


	3. I Extinguish a Big Ball of Doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thalia faces her fears, namely fear of heights and the fear that the Hunters hate her.

_Thalia Grace_

I gripped the steering wheel of the sun car… which I had dubbed the Big Ball Of Doom. I could feel myself sweating. Sure, I had faced monsters, and birds making nests on me, and Percy after he just woke up… but this was by far the worst thing I had ever done. I offered a quick prayer to Dad. _Please please please get me out of this one alive._

"Speed equals heat, so start slowly and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up," Apollo instructed. I tried to nod… but I found that it was hard to move.

"What's wrong?" Seaweed Brain asked from behind me.

"Nothing!" I said, trying and failing to keep my voice steady. "N…nothing is wrong." To prove it, I forced myself to move. I pulled on the wheel. _Let's go up!_ I thought, faking enthusiasm, hoping I could trick myself into it. The bus seemed to respond to the slightest movement of my hand, and with the big jerk I had done, it lurched upwards with a speed that nearly made me sick.

"Ow!" Grover protested.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"Slower!" Apollo ordered.

"Sorry!" I said again. "I've got it under control."

"Thalia, lighten up on the accelerator!" Percy called.

"I've _got_ it, Percy!" But I didn't change. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Loosen up!"

"I'm loose!" I cried.

Apollo snickered. "We need to veer south for long island," he said. "Hang a left."

I tried to carefully turn, but the action came out as more of a jerk. Percy, who had been sitting across the aisle from Grover, was thrown into the satyr. Grover cried out. Apollo winced. "The other left," he noted. "Ah... a little lower sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

I took to the "correct" left, then tilted the wheel downwards. Down. Down. That was a good thing. Down was good. Down meant less distance to fall if we crashed. But as I turned... err, tilted... it was like the Big Ball of Doom turned into the Wild Rollercoaster Ride of Assured Death and Destruction. We were heading towards the ocean. _Oh gods, no._ If we landed in the ocean, Poseidon would likely send a hurricane after me. Maybe not, since Percy was here too. But in the same way Percy stayed away from flight, I stayed away from crashing into the ocean.

On second thought, I think most people did.

"Take the wheel!" Grover pleaded Apollo.

"No worries," said the sun god. "She just has to learn to... whoa!"

"Pull up!" Percy insisted. If I hadn't been so scared of crashing, I would have yelled at him. Percy, at fourteen, had no clue how to drive.

He was right about that though, I had to reluctantly admit. I quickly tilted the wheel up, and we blasted higher.

"There! Long Island, dead ahead," Apollo said. I zoomed up, ready to get _out of the sky._ It was _freaking me out._ "Let's slow down, dear, dead is only an expression."

_I'm under control. I can do this. I'm the daughter of the lord of the sky. This is easy. I'm under control. I can do this._

"Brake!"

"I can do this!" I told myself.

" _Brake!"_

I tapped the break... only it must have been with more force than I thought, because we were suddenly plummeting downwards. We almost bounced into Lake Heracles, where several campers were canoeing. _Oops._

I looked at Apollo. He was smiling nervously. "Well, you were right, my dear. You had everything under control. Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

I sighed and slipped out of the driver's seat, and waited for Percy. "Hey, Seaweed Brain, can you give us some help?" I asked.

He nodded, then concentrated on the water. Rocks rose to the top. I jumped onto one, and though it bobbed, it supported my weight. I jumped from one to the other, as did Nico and Grover. Apollo just appeared on shore, and Percy dived in and came up on the other side, perfectly dry. I waited for the Hunters to follow me, but they had their own idea. Magia shot an arrow onto a nearby tree... not my tree, thank gods... and the thirteen girls ziplined to the shore. "That was so fun!" Bianca exclaimed.

"It is the first of many adventures thou shall have as a Hunter," Zoë assured her.

"Whoa, is that a climbing wall?" Nico said next to them. Someone answered in the affirmative.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?" he questioned next.

"Little extra challenge," Percy responded. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron; Zoë, have you met..."

"I know Chiron. Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters- follow me."

Grover, who was salivating by now, looked up at my ex-girlfriend. "I'll show you the way," he told her.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here if you don't have a good guide. Can't trust the border magic, like my old Daddy Goat used to say!" Though he had tripped, he didn't seem to notice. He never even stopped talking.

Zoë rolled her eyes and followed him. I stuck my tongue out in their general direction.

Apollo began walking back to the Doom Machine. "Take care, sweethearts!" he yelled after the Hunters. I saw Phoebe flip him off- a dangerous move, but luckily, Apollo either didn't notice or didn't care. He winked at Percy instead of smiting them. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?"

He ignored the son of Poseidon, turning to me. Flashing a dazzling smile that almost made me melt, he hopped back into the bus. "Later, Thalia. And, uh, be good!"

His smile grew wider as I froze. Gods don't just tell you to be good. Unless they're your parent, I mean. I wondered what was going to happen... what I was going to do... that made Apollo tell me to _be good._

As we walked to the Big House, Percy and Nico chatted. I ignored the mindless talking and general touring going on. Eventually, we got to the huge four-story farmhouse, which, in honor of the Christmas season, was decked in fire and holly. Inside, even more fire roared safely in the fireplace, heating the house. The smell of chocolate wafted through the air. Chiron and Mr. D were playing cards in the parlour.

It took him about a turn to see us, but when he did, he smiled widely. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be...

"Nico di Angelo," Percy exclaimed. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

"You succeeded, then?"

I sighed. "Well..."

"What's wrong?" Chiron demanded. Then suddenly, realization seemed to dawn. "And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh dear. Not another one lost," Mr. D said in an almost robotic voice.

I frowned. _Another one?_ "What do you mean? Who else is lost?"

Grover burst into the room, smiling like he had just gotten married to Artemis herself. It contrasted with his appearance, which was bruised and busted. He had a black eye, a large cut, and some red lines that looked like someone had simultaniously slapped and scratched him. "The Hunters are all moved in!" he announced.

"The Hunters, eh?" Chiron inquired. "I see we have much to talk about. Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"But... oh. Right. Yes, sir."

Nico inquired as to the rating of the orientation film... did they even have ratings. It was too long before he happily skipped off with Grover.

As soon as he had left, Chiron nodded to Percy and me. "Now, perhaps you should sit down and tell us the whole story."

We sat. "Okay," I said. "It was a typical extraction. I was forced to resort to some Mist manipulation, but that turned out okay. We blended easily until Seaweed Brain here decided to go for a single-handed slaying."

Percy glared at me. "Thorn was luring Bianca and Nico away. They wouldn't have survived."

"We were coming! We would have noticed!"

"Yeah, right! Anyway, so I fought Thorn, almost died twice, and eventually got..." and he muttered something that sounded like "rescued."

"We had the fight," I continued. "I mean, we ran into difficulty, but nothing major. Then the Hunters show up out of nowhere. Between us, we take Thorn down... but the Hunters didn't wait for Annabeth to get out of the way... and she went down with him."

Chiron looked like he wanted to cry. "So... she's dead?"

"No... Artemis said she was 'lost.' Whatever that means."

"We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."

"I'll go," Percy and I said in unison. We glared at each other.

"Certainly not," Mr. D vetoed.

"What?" I exclaimed. "You can't leave a half-blood to die like that! It's against camp values! That's... that's sick!"

I doubted Dionysus could hear me over Percy, who was making similar complaints. Mr. D held up his hand, and we quieted. "From what you have told me, we have broken even on this escapade. We have... ah, regrettably lost Annabelle..."

"Annabeth," Percy corrected sharply.

"Yes, yes. And you procured a small boy to replace her. So I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron argued. "She's very bright. If... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."

I nodded. "That's right. Luke would want her alive." Luke loved her like a little sister, as did I. I refused to believe that he could harm her.

Mr. D smirked. "In which case, I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

Percy stood, nearly knocking over the vase of poinsettias on the table. "Percy!" Chiron exclaimed.

Percy didn't listen to the warning tone. "You're glad to lose another camper! You'd like it if we all disappeared!" he accused.

Mr. D yawned. "You have a point?"

"Yeah! Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization too. Maybe you could try helping us out a little!"

There was silence. Dionysus and Percy glared at each other. Finally, Mr. D poised to say something, and I pursed my lips. _There goes the last of my friends,_ I thought miserably.

"SO COOL!"

I glanced at the door. Nico was standing there, pointing at Chiron. "You're… you're a centaur!"

Chiron smiled, half amused and half nervous. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form for first encounters."

Nico ignored him and turned to Dionysus. "And, whoa! You're the wine dude! No way!"

"The… _wine dude_?"

"Dionysus, right?" Nico looked like he was about to explode from sheer excitement. "Oh, wow, I've got your figurine!"

"My… _figurine_?"

"In the game Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too. And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"

"Well, that's gratifying." I almost snorted. Dionysus looked extremely confused, and it was killing me.

"Percy, you and Thalia go down to the cabins," Chiron broke in. "Inform the campers we'll be okaying capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag?" Percy questioned. "But we don't have enough..."

"It's a tradition, a friendly match whenever the Hunters visit."

I snorted. Friendly? With Zoë and her gang? "Yeah, I bet it's _real_ friendly."

Chiron motioned very slightly to Dionysus and Nico. "Run along now," he advised.

I grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right. Come on, Percy," I said as I grabbed his arm and began to drag him out of the Big House. The moment we were out of Dionysus's hearing range, I rolled my eyes. "You've already got Ares on your bad side. You need another immortal enemy?"

"Sorry," he muttered, but he didn't sound too sorry at all. "I couldn't help it. It's just so unfair."

I dropped his arm and stopped. He almost fell over. "Percy... everything is unfair. Sometimes I just wish..." _That I was still a tree? That Luke was still good? That I had chosen Zoë?_

_No, you don't wish that._

I sighed. Percy looked at me comfortingly. "We'll get Annabeth back," he promised- he probably assumed that was the issue. "I just don't know how yet."

Though I wasn't really thinking about my lost little sister, I took the excuse. I never wanted anyone to know about my relationship with the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. "First, I found out Luke was lost. Now Annabeth..." I hoped my trailing of would seem melancholy enough to convince Percy that this was my biggest issue.

"Don't think like that," he told me.

"You're right, we'll find a way."

We walked further, this time in silence. Eventually, we got to the basketball court. Hunters had taken over- Phoebe, Magia, Rose, and the new girl (the one who was likely my replacement; not Bianca). Phoebe was arguing with Anton from Ares cabin. "I'll break that up," I told Percy. "You circulate around the cabins; tell everybody about capture the flag tomorrow."

"Alright. You should be team captain."

I really didn't want to. "No, no, you've been at camp longer. You do it."

"We can... uh, co-captain, or something."

He wasn't going to let this go. I nodded a half-ascent. Let him take that as he will. As soon as he saw, I started towards the basketball court.

"Hey, Thalia?"

I turned back, to where Percy was standing uncomfortably. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what happened at Westover. I should've waited for you guys."

I waved him off. "It's okay, Percy. I probably would've done the same thing." I paused. That wasn't really what I should be saying... I mean, I should be apologizing. "You know... you asked about my mom, and I kinda snapped at you. It's just, I went back to find her after seven years, and I found out she died in Los Angeles. She... um... she was a heavy drinker. And apparently, she was out driving late one night about two years ago and..." I swallowed. I didn't want to cry.

"That's why you had trouble with the sun van."

_Huh?_ "What do you mean?"

"The way you stiffened up. You must've been thinking about your mom, not wanting to get behind the wheel."

_You idiot, Seaweed Brain! Is that really what you think that was about?_ I glared, and almost corrected me. Yes, I loved my mom, but she made her choices. Did he think I was afraid I'd make the same choice? I wasn't going to. _Then again... it's better if he assumes this. At least he didn't guess that I'm afraid of heights._ "Yeah," I muttered. "Yeah, that must've been it."

I turned and walked towards the basketball court. He stared after me for a moment, and then headed to Ares cabin to begin his rounds. As soon as he was gone, I sprinted towards the basketball courts. "All right, break it up!" I called.

Phoebe and Anton looked at me. The Hunter girl dropped the basketball she was holding. "Thalia Grace," she said. "Who do you think you are, telling a Hunter what to do?"

"Who do I think I am? I'm a daughter of Zeus, one of the leaders at this camp, and physically about two years older than you. So why don't you run off before I give you a spanking?"

A bow appeared in her hand. "I am not afraid of you," she assured me.

Anton gulped. "And neither am I, Thalia. Anyway, aren't trees supposed to be all serene and stuff?"

"Hey, Anton?"

"Yeah?"

"You know Clarisse's electric spear?"

"Uh-huh?"

"You know how much that voltage hurts when it touches skin?"

"Yeah…"

I looked at my hand. "Did you know I can summon three times that much voltage in one finger? Gods… can you imagine how much that would hurt if it accidentally brushed someone?"

Anton ran off without another word. It was common knowledge that out of all sons and daughters of Ares, he was the most cowardly. There was a rumor that he was also the great-grandson of Hypnos, and some of the lazy, sleepy qualities had been passed down the line. Phoebe looked at me. "Can you really do that?" she asked.

"What? Ummm, I don't actually know. Maybe. Why, wanna find out?"

She narrowed her eyes, and then sighed. "I like you, Thalia."

"What?"

"I think you are strong, smart, and fun. But I can't forgive you for breaking Zoë's heart."

I nodded once. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I can't forgive myself either."

"You could apologize. Maybe then I could forgive you."

"What's it matter?" I asked. "Apologizing isn't going to stop Zoë from hating me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"What?"

"She doesn't hate you," Phoebe said, slowly, as if she were speaking to a small child. "She's hurt. She's been hurt for seven years now. You did that to her. But you know the crazy thing? Thalia, I truly believe you can take that hurt away. You can make Zoë laugh again. She hasn't laughed in seven years."

Phoebe turned and started to walk away. But then, quickly, she stopped. "Thalia… we all thought you were coming back for her. We all thought that you would drop the _male_ and come be with Zoë forever. But you didn't. You never came back for her. Not in seven years."

"I was actually kind of occupied."

"With the male?"

"Actually, with being topiary. Anton wasn't just spouting crap- Dad turned me into a tree."

Phoebe laughed. "Thalia Grace… I think that's the worst excuse I've ever heard."

Still laughing, she walked towards Cabin Eight.


	4. I Attempt To Loosen Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a game of Capture the Flag is played, and a dramatic realization is realized.

_Zoë Nightshade_

Sleep was not easy that first night at Camp Half-Blood.

_There was crying, weeping. I didn't know Artemis could cry. Lady Artemis was strong, as she demanded her Hunters were. Yet, here the goddess was crying. My lady was afraid._

I dreamed of Artemis. I dreamed that she was trapped.

_She was under a burden. I could not see it. There was laughter all around her, male laughter._

As a demi-titan, I had a horrible ability to see the future in my dreams, similar to how demigods saw past and present. Did that mean this dream was going to become reality?

_The lost girl… Annabeth... was on the floor, writhing in pain. Artemis tried to smile comfortingly at her. But... my lady could not smile._

I awoke with a start. "I need to talk to Chiron."

I slipped out of my comfortable bed with the silvery sheets and tiptoed across the floor, careful not to wake any of my sisters. As soon as I was out of Cabin Eight, I began to run, the ground soft under my bare feet. It was only a matter of minutes before I was knocking on the door to the Big House.

Argus, the security head, answered. He gave me a nod that I took to mean "yes?"

"I need to speak to Chiron. It is a matter of utmost urgency," I told him.

Argus grunted and blocked the door. "Do you truly refuse entrance to the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis?" He grunted and nodded. "Oh, you beast, Artemis is in dire peril. Does comprehension elude thou? Her Hunters are needed! We must make the necessary summons! Call to Chiron!"

He again refused. I crossed my arms over my breasts. "Boil-brained lout."

"Proud cockabaloo."

I started back. _Argus speaks? Not only that, but he has a grip on older English. Impressive, for a male._

The door opened, and Chiron trotted out. "What's all the fuss?" he asked. "People… and centaurs… are trying to sleep, you know."

"I need to leave immediately," I insisted before Argus could tell Chiron he was handling it. "It is an emergency."

"Zoë, it's three thirty in the morning. What could you possibly need to leave for? Besides, you can't. Artemis insisted you stay here until you receive orders from her."

"How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?" I pleaded.

Chiron froze for a moment, then stared into my eyes. "Go back to sleep, Zoë. We'll deal with this in the morning."

"No! We must pack up the Hunters and go now!"

"I said no!" Chiron screamed. I was shocked into silence. "Now," he continued. "Head back to Cabin Eight. Loosen up. What was this, a dream? I have the prophetic dreams too. But you can't change the future. We can only deal with it when it comes."

Grudgingly, I trekked back to Cabin Eight. I slipped back into my bed and tried to sleep, to no avail. Luckily, soon the sky began to lighten, and the Hunters rose one by one.

I made morning announcements- two days worth since we didn't have time for them yesterday. I slipped Bianca the notebook where we kept our daily notes, and she immediately took down the things I said. Her handwriting was especially neat for a twelve-year-old girl. I was impressed.

"Hunters!" I called. "We have a busy day ahead. To begin with, I would like to inform you of the schedule for the duration of our stay at camp. We will rise promptly at seven; that's an hour before campers rise. This will give us time to practice our skills in relative peace. At eight, we will eat breakfast. From there, we will participate in camp activities until two, when we will resume Hunter practices until dinner. From there, we will do as the camp wishes. Do you have this, Bianca?"

"Got it, Zoë."

"Also, remember, we are invited to play capture the flag tonight. Our current score is fifty-five to zero. Shall we make it fifty-six?"

The Hunters all screamed "Yeah! For Artemis!"

"For Artemis..." I echoed sadly.

Phoebe and Magia glanced at me. "What's wrong, lieutenant?" Phoebe asked.

"I had a dream last night."

Immediately the cabin hushed. "Tell us," Jenn insisted.

Rose nodded. "It's good to get things off of your shoulders."

 _Off my shoulders._ I frowned deeply. If Phoebe hadn't been the only one who knew my past, I would have thought it was a subtle jab at parentage. "It's about Artemis. I dreamed that she was held captive under a great burden."

_Held captive under a great burden. But that... that was impossible. Stop thinking what you're thinking, Zoë._

Bianca smiled at me. "It's okay. Nico has bad dreams all the time. They're not real, you know."

"Except for Zoë's are," Jenn noted. "She's got prophetic dreams. It's helpful in the hunt."

"So... Artemis is trapped?"

"Not yet," I said, my voice grim. "However, she undoubtedly will be."

Phoebe slung her backpack over her shoulder. "So, when do we leave?"

"We don't."

The Hunters gasped. "Why not?" asked Chrysanthe.

"Chiron declined us permission. There is nothing else we can do." I gulped back tears. "So, while we think of a way around this, let us act as though we are having fun."

We headed to the pegasus stables and mounted quickly. Bianca had never rode a horse, much less a pegasus, so I asked Jane to give her a quick lesson. Jane was brilliant on horses- before she became a Hunter, she was the daughter of a senator, and their country home had many horses. She had been riding from a very young age, and she was the go-to if someone needed assistance.

I was not bad on horses myself. I mounted a pegasus named Norbert and rode alongside Phoebe, Chrysanthe, and Sabina. "I cannot believe this," I muttered darkly. "We should be out looking for Lady Artemis, not stuck here."

"I agree," Sabina said. "It's not fair of Chiron to keep us here. This is not our place."

"Except for that Artemis did tell us to stay," Chrysanthe noted.

Phoebe snorted. "A good handmaiden anticipates her lady's wishes in advance. And Artemis would want to be saved."

"I believe Artemis would rather we kept out of danger," I said slowly. "This is not an average hunt."

The three girls stared at me, and Sabina turned up her nose. "Really, Zoë. Next, you'll be saying that you want to date boys." Chrysanthe snickered.

Phoebe waved her hand. "Zo would never. She's still too into Thalia."

"Excuse me!" I cried. "You dare to bring up the name of Thalia Grace in my presence? Phoebe, I thought you were kind to me!"

"She's grown calmer and wiser. More like a true Hunter. I doubt she would hurt you again, Zoë." Phoebe winked at me. "You should go for it."

"Present redemption does not erase past transgression. I will _never_ 'go for it.' Never."

"Whatever," Phoebe shrugged. "So, fearless leader, what's the plan for capture the flag tonight?"

"The plan is already set into motion. Jane's affinity for horses will help our backup plan. If it looks like the campers might win... we stampede. If that is not needed, we'll use Operation Scorpio and sting from behind."

"So, same as usual and pray to Artemis that they haven't figured out that we always do the same thing?"

"Essentially," I smiled slightly. Then my face fell. "I wish we did not have to do this at all."

"Yeah, me too," Sabina said. Chrysanthe and Phoebe echoed.

We landed and dismounted. Bianca was gone, and Jane was arguing with the Aphrodite counselor about how love was worthless.

_Worthless? No, maybe worth something. Hurt as I am, I still value the time I spent with Thalia._

_No, no, Zoë. Love was a waste of time well spent hunting._ I sighed at my endless mental battle.

The day passed with slow torment. We went through dull camper activities and then our normal Hunter training, the only time in our day we could truly let loose. Eventually, we huddled up at dinner, and from there went on to capture the flag.

My sisters looked to me for the game plan, although everyone but Jenn and Bianca likely had it memorized by now. "Hunters!" I cried. "In the tradition of the Hunters of Artemis, those playing for the first time get the most important jobs. Bianca di Angelo will be guarding our flag. Jennifer Ladastra will come with me to recover the Camp flag. The rest of you know what to do. For Artemis!"

"For Artemis!"

Jenn and I ran towards the borderline as soon as the horn sounded. Though Jenn was only five years into the Hunters, she was as silent as I was- one of our best runners. We cut straight up the middle, then jumped into nearby trees. We climbed up quickly. "Doest thou see them?" I inquired.

"Easily," Jenn smirked. "We have one group going left, one right."

"So we anticipated correctly that they would not move up the middle. Good, good," I mused. "Magia's group will give chase, making them think we bought into their scheme. Sabina's group usually arms the woods with trap arrows and defends against any groups going that way. You and I take middle. Most of the time, they assume that if there are two large groups, the three who are not part of any group will be defense. In reality, only one is- Bianca."

"Brill. Whose strategy is that?"

"Mine. It is the strategy we always use. And since ancient Greece, campers have bought into it."

We jumped down from our trees and silently ran up the center. Suddenly, I pulled Jenn back. "Quiet. Someone approaches."

It was Percy Jackson, the boy Lady Artemis took a strange liking to. He was running right through the center, past us, but he didn't even notice. It would have been easy to take him out, but the risk that he would alert them to our presence was too great. We slipped by him and ran to the campers' flag, doubling our speed.

There were four guards at the large chunk of rocks that the flag was perched atop of. "Jenn," I whispered.

She smirked. "I got this, Zo." And silently, she disappeared, only to reappear holding a bow at the eldest of the guards' throat.

They stood there in silence for a moment, and then the guard yelled "Well don't just stand there! Attack her!"

Nico looked confused. "Bianca told me to never hit girls."

The two twin guards laughed. "She's not a girl," one said. "She's a Hunter!"

"What'd he just say?" asked a growling voice. I turned to find Phoebe standing behind me. She quickly aimed her bow and shot two arrows into the helmet of the twin who spoke, making him look like the annoying insect he was. The boy turned, but didn't see us… however, he was coming over to investigate.

"I'll make this quick," Phoebe said. "Bianca just raised the alarm. Magia's group is headed over to check out the damage. I'll take Sabina's group and Jenn and be the distraction. Zoë… the win is up to you."

"My pleasure," I said, smiling slightly. I rigged up a zipline arrow and sent it flying into the flag. Quickly, before anyone could notice, I pulled the rope down and the flag with it. As soon as it was safely in my arms, I was running.

It was only a half minute before the eldest guard and Nico began to realize I was the issue. They held chase, but I could run faster than they could, and managed to get past them. I dodged attacks easily, savoring the wind racing through my dark curly bangs, almost rueful that the rest of my hair was stuck in a plait. Soon the creek was in sight- and Percy Jackson was too, holding our flag.

I was closer. I bolted across the small creek and shoved Percy Jackson out of the way. I could hear my sisters cheering and running to meet me at the creek. The campers walked slowly, heads hung. "The Hunters win... for the fifty-sixth time in a row..." Chiron muttered.

"Perseus Jackson! What in the name of the gods were you thinking?"

We all turned to see Thalia storming towards that boy.

Percy looked annoyed. "I got the flag, Thalia. I saw a chance and I took it!" And he threw the flag into her face.

My hands clenched into fists. It took willpower not to punch him for his lack of respect for Thalia. I knew though that she could take care of herself... _and beside, she is not thy problem anymore, Zoë._

"I was at their base!" Thalia yelled. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would have won!"

"You had too many on you!"

"Oh, so it's my fault?" She glared, a picture of fierceness.

"I didn't say that..." Percy said, his voice softer, as if he realized what he was dealing with and was scared.

"Argh!"

She pushed him and he flew back into the creek. I tried not to laugh, but it was difficult. Thalia was... in modern terms... _cute when she was angry._ To see that picture of beauty getting her revenge on a boy made me the slightest bit happier.

She turned pale at the sound of the laughter that some of my sisters could not hide. "Sorry! I didn't mean to..."

She did not finish her sentence. A whirlwind of water blasted into her face. "Yeah, I didn't mean to either," the boy said with a growl.

Thalia was nearly growling, angrier than I had ever seen her, even when we broke up.

_"I can't be with you, Zoë. I love Luke. I will always love him. And he'll... he'll always love me. Not like you. You just want more Hunters. All you care about is Lady Artemis this and Lady Artemis that. You just want to add someone new. It's not about me at all. Well, good. Maybe then it won't hurt to lose me!"_

_"No, Thalia. It is not like that. I love thee. I love thee as much as thou loves the boy. I love thee more. Do not go, please. It is a mistake."_

_"Yeah," she muttered. "It was a mistake to make me think you cared for me."_

She brandished her weapon. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed and raised her hand to the sky. A bolt of lightning came down onto her spear, then from there hit Percy in his upper torso. His clothes were on fire, and his hair was sticking out oddly, half-fried. He had been thrown into the creek, and his jeans were becoming soaked through.

"Thalia, that is enough!" Chiron begged.

Percy stood up and thrust his hands outwards toward Thalia. The water from the tiny creek rose into a massive tornado of water and ice. "Percy!" Chiron pleaded. Percy did not listen. He tilted his head forward, and the water started to rush towards Thalia... but suddenly, it dropped in a gigantic splash. Percy looked shocked and scared. _Did his father revoke his powers?_

Thalia turned and her face took on the same expression. Soon, all the Hunters and campers were looking after them... looking at a swirl of green mist, and at the center, Marjorie Richardson, the Oracle of Delphi.

She had been unpleasant in life, not at all a typical child of her time. She was not polite, and had no respect for her elders or her greaters. She walked among the gods and demigods and all of the true world that was not caked with Mist. She did not like it- she did not like us. And yet, she was trusted because her prophecies were true and she carried the spirit of the Oracle within her.

If Marjorie had been bad back then, she was worse now, falling apart. She was older. She had been fifty when she finally passed, and she still wore the dress of a "flower-child" from the late sixties. Besides that, she was a mummy. It all added to a highly unpleasant effect, and yet we were still forced to go to her. For she was the last Oracle. There would be no more, and so we were at Marjorie's mercy.

Marjorie's shell shuffled forwards, the green sickly mist that I was almost convinced was her smell curling at her feet. Suddenly her voice, multiplied, echoed in my head. _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask._

With a shudder, I realized that the Oracle was addressing me.

I swallowed my pride and stepped forwards. "What must I do to help my goddess?" I asked.

Marjorie's mouth opened creepily. Mist poured out and formed into the image of a mountain. Lady Artemis stood at it's peak, wrapped in chains. She kneeled and her hands were raised. _It is my dream. It has happened._

The Oracle spoke.

 _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains._  
One shall be lost in the land without rain.  
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,  
Campers and Hunters combined prevail.  
The Titan's curse must one withstand.  
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.

_One shall perish... Titan's curse... holding something up... get it off your shoulders..._

I knew what the mission was.

As the Oracle collapsed onto a rock, I realized I was destined to die for my Lady.


	5. I Call A Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which history is made apparent, old habits are surprisingly easy to fall into, and there may still be some smoke in flames that were thought to have gone out long ago.

_Thalia Grace_

Zoë looked especially shaken by the prophecy, and proved exactly how shaken when she collapsed, similar to how the Oracle-mummy had collapsed. The Hunters raced to her side, especially Bianca. _Are they dating? Seems pretty soon for that, huh? Guess she's as much of a ladyplayer as I thought._

Chiron was looking down at the Oracle as attentively as the Hunters looked at Zoë. "Errr... I do hate to be a bother, but who is going to carry the Oracle back up to the attic?"

"I vote Percy," I said flatly.

"Percy," agreed Beckendorf.

The rest of the campers mumbled ascent.

"It's done," Chiron said. "Percy, you may have the honor of carrying the Oracle. Since she is rather... err, heavy... I recommend Grover to help you."

"What?" Groved bleated. I hadn't even noticed that he was there. "Why me?"

I cracked a smile. "Well, it _is_ your job to help him."

Grover muttered something I couldn't hear, but he and Percy picked up the Oracle.

"The least Thalia could do is help," Percy whined as he strained under the weight.

I turned to the nearest person, the Hunter named Rose. "Tell him I'm not talking to him."

Rose laughed. "She's not talking to you."

The son of Poseidon shot me a glare and then began to walk. As soon as they were out of sight, Chiron clapped his hands. "All right. Everyone to your cabins, unless you are a cabin leader. If you are, meet me at the Big House in fifteen minutes. Zoë should be there as well, assuming she is recovered by then."

"I will be there," came Zoë's voice from the center of the Hunters, weakened but clear. "Count on it."

"Good, good." Chiron nodded. "And Thalia? Please walk with me. I'd like to discuss some things with you."

The campers and Hunters scattered as I walked alongside Chiron. As soon as we were relatively alone, he asked "What exactly is your relationship with Zoë?"

I opened my mouth to say "she's nothing to me" when he added "Not just now. What was your relationship with her?"

I shrugged. "I guess she was my girlfriend."

"Tell me about it. This could be important."

"Well... when I was traveling with Luke and Annabeth when I was twelve, we met the Hunters. Artemis had felt that there were female halfbloods in the area. They offered to sort of babysit us for Luke. And he told them okay. So we were traveling with them for a month while he went off and did his own thing."

"Why would Luke do that?" Chiron pressed.

"We had just had a fight. Annabeth was scared and homesick, and I suggested we do something... stop for a while at one of our safehouses, try to live as normal as we could, get her a few picture books to look at... just be a family. But Luke said we couldn't. Even our safe houses wouldn't be safe enough. And we fought and he blew up at me and I blew up at him- almost literally. So when Artemis and the Hunters offered us a temporary vacation, Annabeth and I parted from Luke gladly. It was only temporary, after all."

Chiron nodded. "So they planned to offer you a taste of Hunter life, then offer the full plate."

"Yep."

"How does your relationship with Zoë come into this?"

"Well, Annabeth was too young to be a Hunter. She was too young to be on her own and independent, so Artemis assigned Zoë to help her out and keep her close. And since I refused to be far from Annabeth, Zoë and I ended up spending a lot of time together. We talked when we ran, and we shared a tent when we camped, and slowly we started opening up to each other. And then one night, maybe a week and a half into our stay with the Hunters, I kissed her."

"We began to steadily grow into loving each other. Soon, I can safely say we were in love. But only a few days after that, Luke came back and apologized and begged for us to stay with him. At the same time, Zoë told me not to leave- he failed me once, he would do it again. When I made my choice, she was so mad. We fought. She said horrible things. I guess I did too. But she couldn't let me leave quietly, and now we can't even be friends. It makes me mad just looking at her, honestly."

"Too bad," Chiron said quietly. "I have a feeling that you two are going to be leading this quest. Together."

I looked him dead in the eyes. "Do you think I have to go on this?"

"I think... I think it's your destiny."

"Well then," I said. "I can't argue with that."

We were at the Big House, standing on the porch, by then. "Go get Percy from the attic," Chiron told me. "I'll tell Dionysus to officially call council."

"I really don't want to."

Chiron smiled slightly. "So, you can get over your aversion to your ex-girlfriend, but you can't get a single son of Poseidon downstairs?"

I sighed. "Fine," I said as I opened the door and started heading to the attic.

I tromped up three flights of stairs, then opened the trap door to the attic. Grover was still there with Percy. "Tell Percy to get his butt downstairs."

"Why?" said Seaweed Brain.

I turned back to Grover. "Did he say something?"

"Um, he asked why."

"Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy. Unfortunately, that includes Percy."

I turned and headed back down. I could hear him following me, but I ignored him. Eventually, we walked into the rec room and Grover, Percy and I took the left side of the table. Zoë sat at one end, along with Bianca, who I was now without a doubt convinced was Zoë's new girlfriend. On the other side were Chiron and Dionysus. Beckendorf, Silena, Travis and Connor took the other end.

For a few minutes, we settled in. There was Cheez Whiz and Diet Coke, but only Grover was eating it. Zoë looked impatient, and eventually started the meeting on her own. "This is pointless. There is no time for talk. Our goddess needs us; the Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron challenged.

"West!" Bianca answered immediately. "You heard the prophecy. 'Five shall go west to the goddess in chains.' We can get five Hunters and go."

"Yes. Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her," Zoë agreed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're missing something... as usual. 'Campers and Hunters combined prevail.' We're supposed to do this together."

"No! The Hunters do not need thy help."

I blinked. "Your. Nobody has said 'thy' in like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times."

Zoë's face changed into something odd, but familiar. It was the face she made when she was trying hard to please someone. I had only seen her make that face for two people- Artemis and me. Everyone else was beneath her, she didn't even put on a facade about caring for their opinions. I thought that I had rejoined the masses after our arguement. But... apparently not. "Yerrrrrr," she said eventually, her vowels wide and her face hopeful, looking for my approval. "We do not need yerrrrrrr help."

I smiled slightly and rolled my eyes. "Forget it."

Zoë caught my eye and shrugged, like "what can you do?" I smiled back, just a little.

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron reminded her. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or do they?"

We looked at Dionysus. He was smelling his Diet Coke as if he was testing a fine wine. "One shall be lost; one shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

"Mr. D, with all due respect, whose side are you on?" Chiron sighed.

Dionysus made a face. "Sorry, my dear centaur, just trying to be helpful."

I slammed my hand on the ping-pong table. "We're supposed to work together. I don't like it either, Zoë, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"

Zoë made her "I don't want to admit it but you just said something I didn't think of" face. I smiled a little; it wasn't often that I got that expression. In our relationship, Zoë had been the smart, strong one and I had been more of the loving one. That was something that had changed about me since we broke up- I learned that it wasn't always good to wait for someone to protect and take care of you. On the run with Luke and Annabeth, I had to be the one who could kick serious butt, just in case they couldn't.

"We must not delay. Today is Sunday," Chiron informed us. "This very Friday, December 21st, is the winter solstice."

"Oh joy, another dull annual meeting," muttered Dionysus. I glared at him.

"Artemis _must_ be present at the solstice. She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations," Zoë said urgently.

Dionysus frowned. "Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?"

Zoë looked him right in the eye. "Yes, Lord Dionysus," she said, her voice taking on a double-layered tone: frank on the top, but just underneath, if you searched for it, a little bit sarcastic and bold.

Mr. D nodded. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."

Chiron thought, then said "I must agree with Zoë. Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We only have a week to find her, and possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Three and two."

Everyone looked at Percy. He had been so quiet during the meeting, I had almost forgotten he was there.

"We're supposed to have five," he explained. "Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair."

Zoë and I looked at each other.

 _Well?_ her eyes asked me. _What does thou think?"_

_I think it's what we have to do._

_Can we?_

_Well, who says_ we'll _be the ones who are going?_

_I have a feeling that it will come down to that, Thalia._

_Yeah, so does Chiron. So…_

_So we must, once again, become temporary companions._

"Well," I said, "it _does_ make sense."

Zoë "hmmphed." "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."

Chiron leaned forward. "You'll be retracing the goddess's path, moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: 'the bane of Olympus shows the trail.' What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."

I saw Zoë make the "I didn't think of that" face again, this time accompanied by some fidgeting with a ping-pong paddle. Eventually, she spoke. "This monster, the bane of Olympus… I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

I glanced at Dionysus, hoping for some clue. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea. "Well, don't look at me," he complained. "I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation."

"Chiron, you don't have any ideas about the monster?" Percy asked, his voice desperately hoping for an answer.

But Chiron only pursed his lips and sighed. "I have several ideas- none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters, the size of skyscrapers. Your father Poseidon would have already sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more... elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."

Connor adjusted his weight in his seat. "That's some serious danger you're facing. It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die."

"'One shall be lost in the land without rain.' If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert," Beckendorf added. The council muttered their agreement.

Except for Silena, whose lovely face was furrowed in confusion. "And... 'The Titan's curse must one withstand.' What could that mean?"

Zoë looked sharply at Chiron, and he gazed at her intensely. It was similar to the silent conversation we had earlier, except for that this time, I was on the outside.

'One shall perish by a parent's hand,' Grover noted, except since his mouth was full of cheese and ping-pong ball, it came out more as "Mmm'll pmmerish ma pmarmen's hmmm." He swallowed, then added in a clearer voice "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"

Nobody answered. Zoë looked a little bit sick.

"There will be deaths," Chiron said eventually. "That much, we know."

"Oh, goody!" Dionysus exclaimed.

Zoë began to rise, as if she wanted to pummel him, but the god quickly said, "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback, don't mind me!"

"Percy is right, two campers should go," said Silena, redirecting us to our main vein of conversation.

Zoë swallowed hard and looked at Silena, appraising her. "Oh, I see. And I suppose you wish to volunteer?" she said in a nasty tone, similar to the one she used on me when we broke up.

Silena seemed to shrink. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me."

"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at. What would thy mother say?"

"Stop it!" Beckendorf ordered, and the table quieted. Beckendorf was one of the older campers, a large, African-American, big-voiced, football-playing type. It also helped that he could make anything out of a hunk of metal. Everyone listened to him on fear of getting poked with one of those sharp swords. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"

"I shall go, of course," Zoë volunteered. It would take someone who knew her well to notice that she was nervous, maybe scared. I shot a concerned glance at her, but she ignored me. "And I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis asked.

Zoë frowned and nodded.

Connor got a mischievous look on his face. "The one who put the arrows in my helmet?"

"Yes, why?" Zoë asked.

"Oh, nothing," Travis said, which automatically made me know they were up to something. "Just that we have a tee shirt for her from the camp store. It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?"

Zoë sighed and took the shirt. "As I was saying... I will take Phoebe, and I wish Bianca to go.

_What? She wants Bianca to go? Okay, there is definitely, definitely, completely something romantic going on there. I can't believe it. And just when I thought we might actually be friends again._

"Me? But I'm so new, I wouldn't be any good!" Bianca squealed, sounding half scared to death and half honored. _Wish she was scared all the way to death._

Zoë smiled gently at her, and my wish intensified. "You will do fine. There is no better way to prove thyself."

"And for campers?" Chiron asked.

I opened my mouth to volunteer, but Grover was already waving his hand around, standing up so fast he nearly knocked the table over. "Me! Anything to help Artemis!"

"I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood!" Zoë scoffed. _I had forgotten that she can be a little... racist... at times._

I stood. "But he is a camper. And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Absolutely!"

Zoë sighed, not a beaten sigh, just one that meant she was reconsidering her disgust. "Very well," she finally agreed. "And the second camper?"

"I'll go," I said. Zoë nodded.

"Whoa, wait a sec, I want to go to!" Percy whined.

"Oh! Whoa, yeah... I forgot Percy has to go! I didn't mean... I'll stay, Percy should go in my place." Grover was protesting with everything he had. I knew him well enough to know that it was hard for him. Four beautiful girls versus his best friend? Come on. He's a guy.

"He cannot!" Zoë said sharply. "He is a boy. I won't have my Hunters traveling with a boy."

"You traveled here with me!" Percy looked about ready to throw his arms over his chest and sulk.

"That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."

"What about Grover?"

"He does not count!" He's a satyr, he is not technically a boy!"

Grover protested again.

"I have to go!" Percy complained. "I need to be on this quest!"

"Why, because of thy friend Annabeth?"

"No! I mean, partly... I just feel like I'm supposed to go!"

"No," Zoë said, and her tone was final. "I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero."

"This quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions," Chiron noted, and he looked sympathetically at Percy. "So be it. Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoë, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods, present company included we hope, be with you."

As we walked out of the Big House, Zoë ran up to me. "Where's Bianca?" I asked, my voice with an edge.

"I sent her ahead. I wish to speak with thou."

"About what?"

"The quest. What are we going to do about it? We are the quest leaders, as I am the lieutenant of Artemis, and you are the most powerful camper. We must work together. We must have harmony."

"Alright. So what do you wanna do about this?"

She hesitated. "May we speak somewhere more private? Some things I do not wish Chiron to hear."

"Fine. How about the woods?"

"That is acceptable."

We walked to the woods in silence. When we were finally an acceptable distance in- actually, at the same creek we were earlier, when the Oracle showed up- Zoë began to speak. "Doest thou hate me?"

"No," I said flatly.

"Why did you say those things to me, Thalia?"

I gulped. I didn't want to answer. The truth was... I had been angry. And I had been reluctant to make my choice. The easiest way to make a choice was to make a clean break from Zoë, and that meant making her mad.

But now I was learning that I didn't make her angry. I only made her sad. And she never got over it.

She never got over me.

"Do not answer then," she said desperately. "At least, though, tell me that we can put this strife aside and lead this quest together. As partners."

"As partners," I agreed. I stuck my hand out, and Zoë took it easily. It was a true Ancient Greek handshake- a demonstration of peace. No weapons, no questions... just peace.

I was reluctant to let go, and from the fact that she lingered in our handshake, I felt she thought the same thing. So I didn't let go, and we walked back into camp holding hands. It wasn't until we saw Phoebe standing at the door of Cabin Eight that we quickly let go, releasing our grip at the exact same time. "I will see thou tomorrow," Zoë said quietly.

"Yeah. See you, Zo."

Her face looked a little shocked that I used my old nickname for her. Then she smiled, nodded. "Good dreams, Thalia."

* * *


	6. I Road Trip With My Ex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a romantic and sleepy conversation is had, a Hunter is injured beyond curability, and Zoë and Thalia argue... again.

"Getting kind of cozy there, Zoë?" Phoebe asked with a wink.

I could feel my face burning, blushing. "It is not what thou thinks."

"So you and Thalia didn't reconcile?"

"Well... we may have. A bit."

She nudged me. "See, it's a good thing that I talked to her."

"What?"

Phoebe looked panicked. She covered her mouth. "Oops."

"What did you say?" I asked, trying for a calmer tone of voice.

"I... um..."

" _What did you say_?"

"Sheesh, I just told her that you didn't hate her. She said something about you hating her, so I told her you didn't, you know? And I told her she should apologize."

"She still has not gotten around to that," I muttered.

"Whoa." Phoebe blinked. "Holding hands before a full apology's been made? Zoë, girl, you've got it bad."

I grunted. "It is hard not to. Thalia is fascinating." _More than fascinating. That is too light a word, in all honesty._

Phoebe smiled. "Come on. Let's go inside and get some sleep. Bianca told me we have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes. Oh!" I remembered. My pack appeared on my back, and I pulled the special shirt that the Hermes cabin leaders asked me to deliver. "Master Stoll and Master Stoll wanted me to give this to you," I said, handing it to her.

Her eyes lit up. "Fall Hunting Tour 2002! Sweet!" Without hesitating, she checked to see that nobody was watching. I myself turned around and gave her privacy as she slipped the standard Hunter uniform blouse off, only to replace it with the collectible shirt. "Perfect fit!" she announced. "How do I look?"

"Happy."

Phoebe laughed, and we slipped into our cabin together.

Bianca and the others were already asleep. "Hey, see you in the morning, fearless leader," Phoebe said as she climbed into her bunk. I pulled up my own silver sheets and tucked myself in.

I woke to screaming, loud, horrible screaming. I raced to Phoebe's bunk, where she was writhing in pain. Her skin was covered with sores and hives, and the air smelled like grass around her. "Centaur blood!" I hissed. "What is this?"

"The shirt!" she gasped between screams.

"Take it off if thou can!"

In great pain, she removed the shirt, and I saw what I had missed originally. The inside of the tee shirt was coated in a golden-red sap that was, indeed, centaur blood. "I am so sorry," I told her. "I should have looked."

"Not your fault," she managed.

"Yes. It was. I have failed thee."

She grimaced and shook her head. "Hermes boys."

By now, the rest of the cabin was awake. "Magia, Sabina... take Phoebe to the Big House. This recovery will be long and hard. She needs to stay there for a few weeks until she is better."

"But what about Artemis?" Phoebe cried.

I looked into the eyes of my best friend and best tracker. "The best thing thou can do for our Lady is rest. It would not do to have her short a handmaiden when we save her."

"True," Phoebe smiled. "Especially me. I'm downright irreplaceable."

The twins led Phoebe to the Big House. The other Hunters looked to me for instruction. "Return to sleep," I told them. "We all have long days ahead, questing or not."

Most of my sisters obeyed. They each retreated to their personal beds. However, Bianca pulled on my blouse. "Zoë," she said. "I can't sleep after that. I'll catch a nap in the car, okay?"

I nodded. "Then come, Bianca. We have much to discuss."

The two of us walked out of the cabin, through the camp, only stopping at the dining area. "What's gonna happen to Phoebe?" Bianca asked, upset.

"She will rest, and get better."

"Can't they cure it?"

"It cannot be cured. Not quickly, at any rate."

"But how did it happen?"

I growled at the thought. "A foolish prank- those Stoll brothers from the Hermes cabin. Centaur blood is like acid, everybody knows that. They sprayed the inside of that Artemis Hunting Tour tee-shirt with it."

"That's terrible!"

I sighed. "She will live, but she will be bedridden for weeks with horrible hives. There is no way she can go. It is up to me and thee."

"But the prophecy!" Bianca argued. "If Phoebe can't go, we only have four. We'll have to pick another."

 _No! Nobody else is destined to go on this quest! We must not choose another!_ "There is no time," I said, making an excuse. "We must leave at first light. That's immediately. Besides, the prophecy said we would lose one."

Bianca gave me a look. "In the land without rain, but that can't be here."

 _It is not._ "It might be!" I argued, more with myself than with Bianca. "The camp has magic borders- nothing, not even weather, is allowed in without permission. It could be a land without rain."

"But..."

 _Oh, why not just tell her the truth, Zoë?_ "Bianca, hear me. I... I can't explain, but I have a sense that we should not pick someone else. It would be too dangerous. They would meet an end worse than Phoebe's. I don't want Chiron choosing a camper as our fifth companion, and I don't want to risk another Hunter." _When I'm dead and gone, it will be bad enough on Lady Artemis. Why add to her_ _pain?_

There were a few beats of silence, then Bianca said, "You should tell Thalia the rest of your dream."

"No. It would not help." _Why should I give her reason to hate me? More reason, I should say. Why should I tell her about my family, that I must confront them, that I will likely perish?_

"But if your suspicions are correct about the General..."

"I have thy word not to talk about that!" I cried. "We will find out soon enough. Now come, dawn is breaking."

We hustled back down from the dining pavilion. We were nearly down when I heard breathing, very close. I concentrated, my Hunter senses trying to pinpoint the source of the nearby breathing. Slowly, I reached for my bow, ready to take out whatever dared to watch me.

"The lights of the Big House are on!"

Bianca's words broke my concentration. "Hurry!" she added.

I followed her away from the pavilion and back into Artemis's cabin. By the time we got there, my sisters were up and about again. "You going, Zoë, Bianca?" Jenn asked. "It's going to be light soon."

"Just grabbing our packs," Bianca answered. "How's Pheeb?"

Jenn shrugged. "Well, she's in pain... but last I heard, Chiron decided that it was only mild. Between the fact that it was a bit diluted and our healing abilities, she'll be up in about two weeks. Not at all bad, considering."

"That is good. I entrust thee and thy sisters to take care of her, emotionally as well as physically, when Bianca and I are gone. Spread the word, please, Jenn."

She saluted. "On it."

Bianca handed me my bag, and we sprinted to the meeting point, where Thalia stood. She did not see us; she was concentrating on the lone pine tree, stroking it with one hand. She was moving her mouth silently, but her face was at such an angle that I could not read her lips. I frowned, wondering what she was doing.

"Hi, Thalia," Bianca said.

Thalia looked sharply over. "Hi," she said, her voice a little annoyed. "It's light. You two were nearly late."

"Sorry," I apologized.

Chiron trotted up the hill. "Zoë, Thalia, Bianca... where's Grover?"

We looked at Thalia for an answer. She shrugged. "I dunno. He said he'd be here."

"I'm here! I'm here!" someone bleated. From behind us, I saw the satyr tromping up the hill, out of breath. "Sorry! I got caught up in the woods, Juniper needed some assistance... not that you guys... girls... need to worry about Juniper or anything, the mission is more important..."

"Will thou please stop blubbering so that we may begin before the solstice?" I asked.

Chiron frowned. "Bickering isn't the solution. 'Campers and Hunters combined prevail,' remember?"

"Speaking of..." Thalia asked, "where's Phoebe?"

My face darkened. "I'll tell thou on the way."

The centaur nodded and handed me the keys to the camp van. "I'd prefer that you not get our van blown up, but this is, after all, a demigod and Hunter mission, so I know that might be impossible. Zoë, you're driving. You and Thalia are our combined quest leaders. Do either of you have a problem with that?"

"Nope."

"No," I responded.

"Then may the gods be with you. Hopefully literally, when you return." Chiron cracked a small smile at his cleverness, then dismissed us with a nod.

We climbed down the hill and boarded the van, I in the driver's seat, and Thalia next to me. Bianca took the second row, where, as she had planned, she promptly fell asleep, and Grover did the same on the back row. I placed the keys in the ignition and began to drive, heading into Manhattan. "We could really use an idea of where to go," I muttered.

"Let him sleep some," Thalia advised. "I'll navigate. We can keep each other awake."

For some reason, my mind would not let that comment be taken innocently. I blushed. "Well. Thalia... what have the last seven years been like for thou? You seem young for thy age."

She frowned and hung her head. "That's 'cause I am."

"What?"

"When you and I... separated... we wandered around for maybe another six months. Then Grover found us. Told us we were old enough to begin training. He tried to lead us to camp, but he wasn't good at it. He got lost, and after a few instances of this, the monsters caught up. I... I played distraction so Luke and Annabeth would be safe. I would have died from it, but then Dad took pity. He turned me into a tree, that pine on the top of Half-Blood Hill."

I gasped. "Then how is thou..."

"Luke poisoned me."

"Then thou should be dead! What is this miracle that allows you to be human again?"

"Percy," she said softly. "Percy found the Golden Fleece, along with Annabeth and Grover, and a girl from Ares cabin, Clarisse la Rue. They were very brave. When the Fleece was placed on me, the magic worked to expel anything that wasn't supposed to be there naturally. Like me."

If I could have looked at Thalia without taking my eyes off the traffic going into the city, I would have. However, I finally had an opening into the city, and I had to take it.

"What about you, Zo?" she asked. "Bet the Hunters have had all manner of amazingly awesome adventures."

"Not anything greater than usual, up until now," I said. "We found Jenn two years after thou left us. She is an interesting girl; mortal, but incredibly interested in mythology. Had she not been female, I have no doubt Athena would eventually have taken a liking to her. She is now our fastest runner." I cracked a smile. "She was crucial to beating thy team in capture the flag."

I would have bet a million drachmas that Thalia was pouting. "Thanks for bringing that up," she said.

"We had an interesting run-in with a group of koboloi who posed as Lord Dionysus in order to confuse us. Half of the Hunters refused to even raise their bows in fear that one of them was the real god. Later, we went on a wild goose chase for the Cadmean Vixen, before Phoebe and Jenn remembered that it had been cast into the stars long, long ago. That was not so funny, except in hindsight..."

Thalia laughed softly. "Sounds like you guys have a lot of fun."

"We do," I said. "Oh, Thalia! We could have been sisters."

"Sisters," she sighed. "Now that's just not the best term at all."

Her lips brushed my cheek and I shivered. "I've missed you, Zoë," she said. "But we were never destined to be sisters."

"You could have been a Hunter, though. We could live forever, together. Like the stars."

"You're a star, not me. You'll be the one twinkling forever. I'm... I'm destined to go out. Artemis is lost. I can't recant my decision now. Even if I could, I doubt she'd take it."

"I think that she would," I said desperately. "We will find her and ask."

There were moments of silence. "Okay," Thalia whispered eventually.

Except for that word, there was no more speaking until we were at the Maryland border. Thalia, too, fell asleep- I got the feeling that she rarely rose so early.

"Morning!" Grover yawned eventually. "Where's breakfast?"

"In the rest stop we shall break at as soon as the others rise."

That took only about half an hour. Thalia was a light sleeper, I knew, and began to get up as soon as Grover spoke one word. Within fifteen minutes, Bianca was well-rested, and needed only to use the restroom.

I pulled over at the first stop I saw. "Five minutes," I said. "Go relieve thyselves and get thee some breakfast. Meet me at the front of the store so we may purchase our meal."

I went to the back quickly, eager to get some coffee and one of the fresh blueberry muffins I saw advertised. While grabbing one, I saw Thalia next to me, reaching for a chocolate donut. She leaned over, to whisper in my ear. "I took the liberty of asking Grover to do a tracking spell," she informed me. "He'll tell us when he gets out of the restroom."

We walked back to the front with our food, where Grover and Bianca waited. "Zoë!" he exclaimed. "The... err... map... told me that we needed to continue south."

"South?" I exclaimed. "Not west?"

"South," he confirmed.

"I don't believe this. Surely thou art a new tracker and not so good at it yet?"

Thalia's eyes burned. "Zoë... do you think I'm lying when I say Grover's good at this stuff?"

Too late, I remembered that Thalia was fiercely loyal, and she may have taken that as an insult towards Grover. Quickly, I paid for the food, eager to get back in the van before she truly blew up.

"Grover, are you sure?" Thalia asked, purely for my benefit. Her voice was the slightest bit too sweet, almost spitefully so.

"Well, pretty sure. Ninety nine percent. Okay, eighty five percent."

I shot Thalia a look, as if to say "See?"

"And you did this with acorns?" Bianca asked.

"It's a time-honored tracking spell," Grover explained before continuing his muddled explanation. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."

"DC is about sixty miles from here. Nico and I... we used to live there. That's strange, I'd forgotten."

"I dislike this," I said, desperately trying to explain myself to Thalia. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."

"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia snapped.

That did it. I loved Thalia, but to insult my skills was to insult my mistress. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"

"Oh, scullion? You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"

"Whoa, you two, come on! Not again!" Grover cried.

Bianca sighed. "Grover's right, DC is our best bet."

If my own sister was going to gang up on me, I would have to surrender. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

However, the spirit of grumpiness had already fallen. "You're going to get us arrested, driving, I look closer to sixteen than you do," Thalia muttered.

"Perhaps, but I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."

We climbed back into the van and continued in an angry silence.

 _Where do I stand with her?_ I wondered.


	7. Do Not Feed The Lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thalia feels guilty, a lion tries to kill the reluctant couple and their friends, and an unexpected surprise drives a rift even further between the two girls.

The tension was way too much, not simply because I wasn't one for silence, but also because I knew that I had caused this.

Let me explain. I loved Zoë. There was no way around that. But love and hate existed side by side, they said, and I believed it. When she doubted Grover... I snapped. All the pain came back, with none of the apologizes and reconciliation. It was all on me that nobody was speaking, that Zoë had a death grip on the steering wheel. And it was up to me to fix it.

Naturally, I took the painful route.

"So, what happened to Phoebe?"

"Centaur blood," Zoë hissed. "A foolish prank from a camper." _Singling out the campers,_ I thought. _Not good._

"Will she be okay?"

She didn't even look at me. "Yes. She will be fine."

 _Will_ we _be okay?_ I didn't ask.

Grover coughed. "Zoë, turn here."

The car slipped into an exit advertising the Air and Space Museum. "Was Artemis touring DC or something, Grover? I mean... the Smithsonian. Why would she be here?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the monster was here?"

"What was it, a spaceship?"

Zoë quickly shot a glare at me. "My goddess is not a thing to joke about."

"I wasn't! I was joking about the monster!" But Zoë wouldn't listen.

We got out and paid for our admission. The museum was nearly empty, with only a few families mulling about. As soon as we were all in, Zoë grabbed Bianca's wrist. "We shall split up and meet back here in fifteen minutes. Come, Bianca."

That left me with Grover, who wouldn't shut up about finding Pan. Eventually, I zapped him, so at least then it was an even everyone who hated me.

We met up after the allotted time and all walked together to see one of the Apollo space capsules. Bianca figured that with all the odd things that were sacred to the gods... maybe praying there might give us a little bit of help on our journey. I had just finished my plea when I was knocked into it. Grover cried out, and Bianca and Zoë immediately aimed their bows.

Straight at Percy.

Zoë's eyes widened. I could tell that her already horrible day had just gotten worse. "You!" she growled. "How dare you show thy face here!"

Grover was almost in tears. "Percy, thank goodness!"

I glared at him, as did Zoë. We had set our death faces on in perfect harmony. He seemed more scared of the Hunter as he recanted. "I mean, um, gosh, you're not supposed to be here!"

Percy didn't listen, only panted and tried to say something. Eventually, he got his words out. "Luke. He's here."

My jaw dropped, and my hand went to Aegis's sleeping form, my silver bracelet, automatically. "Where?"

"The Natural History Museum. Dr. Thorn was there, and Luke, and... I guess, the General. They did something with kitties and teeth and a dragon..."

"The General is here?" I looked at Zoë, the speaker. Her eyes were frightened, even as her stance was still warrior-like and confident. She shook off the look, trying, I knew, to regain control. "That is impossible. You lie."

"Why would I lie? Look, there's no time." He panted again, still trying hard to catch his breath. "Skeleton warriors."

"What?" I shrieked. "How many?"

"Twelve, and that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a playmate, to distract you over here. A monster."

I glanced at Grover. _Why didn't you smell anything?_ I mouthed. I mean, I was vouching for my favorite satyr. If he wasn't up to snuff, it wouldn't just look bad for him, it would look bad for me. Zoë would never speak to me again.

"We were following Artemis's trail. I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent..." Grover said, trailing for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "She must've stopped looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet..."

"Zoë, if it is the General..." Bianca said nervously.

"It cannot be! Percy must've seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

Percy folded his arms over his chest and grunted. "Illusions," he informed her, "don't crack marble floors."

My ex-girlfriend took a deep breath, a calming breath. I immediately wanted to go to her, to hold her, to comfort her. It was a compulsion. Luckily for me, the desire to not get brained by a silver arrow was stronger than that little instinct of mine. She calmed quickly anyway and assumed leader position. "If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors, we have no time to argue." She glanced my way, and I smiled. _Forgive and forget?_

 _We'll see,_ her eyes said as she continued. "They are the worst, the most horrible... we must leave now."

"Good idea," Percy said, obviously relieved that she was taking this so well.

Zoë snorted. "I was not including thee, boy. You are not a part of this quest."

"Hey!" he protested. "I'm trying to save your lives."

 _I'm sorry, Zoë,_ I thought. _This might ruin us, what I'm about to do. But as you can't turn your back on your Hunters, I can't turn my back on my friends. Not even for you. Not even for this. Not even for love._ I took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have come, Percy, but you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

Zoë's face looked shocked... then angry. "That is not thy decision!" she snapped at me.

I scowled. How could I have been so stupid? This _might_ ruin us? No. It _would._ This was the very end, all over again. "You're not the boss here, Zoë. I don't care how old you are. You're still a conceited little brat!"

An expression of hurt flickered across her face for a split second, then she controlled it. "You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," she spat at me. "You never could leave them behind."

I balled my hands into fists and was trying to keep from hitting her when I heard the growl. It was so loud that for a moment I thought it might deafen me. Slowly, I turned around, only to face the most terrifying monster I had ever seen.

"The Nemean Lion," I breathed, quietly as I possibly could. "Don't move."

The lion roared.

Zoë glared at me in such a way that I knew she was about to undermine my orders. "Separate on my mark. Try to keep it distracted." _Called it._

"Until when?" Grover asked nervously.

"Until I think of a way to kill it," she snapped. "Go!"

I was still frozen, hoping nobody would listen to her horrible plan, but when Percy rolled to the left and the two Hunters let loose, I knew I had to do something. I woke Aegis and bravely stepped into then lion's path. He recoiled and roared, so loud it hurt my ears and blew my short black hair back against my face. It whipped into my eyes, but I tried to ignore the slight stinging. "Hi-yah!" I cried. "Back!"

I took another step forwards, and it retreated even more.

Then the lion began to crouch. _Oh hell. It's gonna pounce. And thus, Thalia Grace becomes the world's largest toy_ _mouse._

"Hey!"

The lion and I both looked. Percy was racing towards it, slashing Riptide. _Idiot. Swordproof fur._

The Nemean Lion slashed Percy and ripped his coat. Percy turned and jumped back onto an airplane while I got up and ran a little bit away, trying to think. _How did the lion get defeated before? Think, Thalia. Think._

"Zoë, target the mouth!" Percy screamed. Guess he thought of a solution before I did. "Grover, clear the area!"

"No clear shot, get it to open its mouth more!" Zoë responded.

Percy looked around and seemed to have an epiphany. "Thalia!" he yelled, turning towards me. "Keep it occupied."

I nodded grimly and brandished my spear. "Hi-yah!" I cried, shooting a bolt of blue electricity straight into the tail of the Nemean Lion. He pounced, and I only just rolled out of the way. I shoved Aegis into the lion's face, and he roared again.

I jumped up, and the lion narrowed its eyes, slashing at me with its claws. I tried to jab it, but it came towards me at top speed, forcing me back. "Percy, whatever you're going to do..." _Do it soon!_

The lion swiped at me, knocking my head into a Titan rocket. Pain burst in my skull like fireworks. I fell to the floor, sprawled pathetically. I didn't get back up immediately- maybe, if I played dead, the lion might leave me alone. I listened to the sounds of the battle, which was mostly screaming and roaring, until Grover helped me up. Zoë and Bianca landed right in front of me, having jumped down from a balcony. "That was an interesting strategy," Zoë quipped.

"Hey," Percy grinned. "It worked."

Zoë made her proud face again, but it was underlined with a hint of amusement. As the monster disintegrated, leaving only a pelt, she looked at Percy. "Take it."

"What, the lion's fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?"

I rolled my eyes. Zoë looked as if she were trying not to laugh. "It is a spoil of war. It is rightly thine," she explained.

He shook his head. "You killed it."

Zoë shook her head. Her eyes sparkled, the after affect of the hunt. "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy; take the fur."

He lifted it up, and it immediately morphed into a large coat, golden-brown. "Not exactly my style," Percy joked.

Grover looked around nervously, breaking the festive post-battle mood. "We have to get out of here. The security guards won't stay confused for long."

I noticed that they were running around, befuddled and vacant. "You did that?" Percy asked.

"A minor confusion song," he nodded. "I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time, but it'll only last a few seconds." **  
**

"The security guards are not our biggest worry. Look." Zoë pointed through the glass walls. Sure enough, the promised skeletons were coming our way.

Percy raised Anaklusmos again and immediately shifted back into battle stance. "Go!" he ordered. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

I glared at Zoë, knowing she would, yet again, tell him he wasn't invited on our quest. She looked at me, and somehow, understanding passed between us. "No. We go together."

Percy nearly fumbled his sword as he gaped at the Hunter. "But... you said..."

"You are part of this quest now. I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member and we are not leaving anyone behind," she told him.

I smiled. "So. Ready to run from a dozen angry dead people?"

"Sounds fun," Percy said.

"On my mark," Zoë said, trying to regain some of the control and firmness she had lost when she allowed Percy on the quest. "Five... four..."

"Three two one GO!" I shouted, and I grabbed her hand and laughed as we raced towards the exit. By now, the security guards were coming after us, but we managed to evade them and hop in the van. "Floor it, Zo!" I cried, and she obliged. Before long, we were out of the parking lot, ready for anything once again.


	8. I Turn Into My Girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the party gets involved in a car chase, Zoë talks with a god, and Thalia gets what she wanted.

It seemed like we had finally run out of luck. The van I was driving was being pursued by a black military helicopter, the awful boy Percy was on our quest (I will admit that it is hard to resist the puppy eyes Thalia made at me in his favor), and I could see we were quickly running out of gas as well.

"They know the van, we have to ditch it," I heard. I was not much paying attention to who was speaking.

I switched lanes, speeding up as I went.

"Maybe the military will shoot it down."

"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs. How can the General use mortals, anyway?"

"Mercenaries," I said. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."

"But don't these mortals see who they're working for? Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"

"I do not know how much they see through the Mist," I said, shaking my head in disgust. "I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters." I sped up, as the helicopter was gaining.

"Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice right about now. Please?" Thalia begged of Zeus.

Nothing happened.

"There! That parking lot!"

I took a quick look to where Bianca was pointing. "We'll be trapped," I said, confused.

Bianca looked at me grimly. "Trust me," she begged.

I quickly switched to two lanes over, parking on the bank of a river. Bianca jumped out before I had even stopped the car. Thalia leaped behind her, followed by Percy and Grover. I finally reluctantly ran after my quest group.

Bianca ran down a flight of stairs into an underground area. "Subway entrance," she explained. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

Thalia and I looked at each other and stifled a bit of laughter. That was her middle name- she was Thalia Alexandria Grace. It was such an odd coincidence that it was a tad amusing.

We saw that Percy, Grover, and Bianca were looking at us, so we swallowed our giggles. "Anything," Thalia agreed.

We bought five tickets for the next train and managed to get on just as it was about to leave. We had, I noticed, lost our pursuers. Unfortunately, we had also lost our van. Chiron would not be pleased.

"Nice job, Bianca," Grover said, panting. "Thinking of the subway."

"Yeah, well..." she smiled, obviously pleased to be recognized. "I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."

"New? But that station looked really old." Grover asked. We all frowned, confused.

"I guess, but trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."

"Wait a moment." Thalia sat straighter in her seat and leaned forward slightly, suddenly very interested. "No subway at all?" Bianca nodded confirmation.

 _That is impossible! The trains must be more than twelve years old; likely about fifteen or sixteen._ "Bianca, how long ago..."

The sound of the helicopters interrupted me. _They have found us._

"We need to change trains next station," Percy said. I nodded.

It took nearly forty-five minutes and three different trains before we felt safe enough to get off- the end of the line, with old warehouses abounding. Snow was falling, dusting us, making the demigods cold. Even Bianca and I felt chilly, and it was hard for Hunters to feel cold, one of the gifts we are blessed with when we take the oath. "Let us find a path or road," I said.

The quest group nodded and followed me. "Maybe there'll be a train we can jump on," Thalia said.

"A warm train," added Grover. "With a snack car."

"There are only freight trains here. This is not a passenger stop," I explained. The satyr's face fell. Thalia tried not to look disappointed. I was about to shrug off the ski jacket that was part of the Hunters of Artemis winter uniform and place it around her frail shoulders when I caught a glimpse of a fire, and a man standing there. He was more disgusting than the usual man- he had no teeth, his red flannel shirt was much too big, and he was wearing a patchwork skirt, making him look ridiculous.

He smiled, and it only served to repulse me more. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

Grudgingly, I stood between Thalia and Bianca and together we huddled, attempting to keep the warmth in our little circle of people. I could hear Thalia's teeth chattering, and grabbed her hand, using it to pull her a little closer to me. "Well this is just g-g-g-great," she complained anyway.

"My hooves are frozen," Grover whined.

"Feet," Percy corrected.

Bianca glanced at me, looking for approval to speak. I nodded, but still she hesitated. Eventually, she said "Maybe we should contact camp. Chiron..."

I cut her off, willing her not to say any more. "No. They cannot help us any more. We must finish this quest ourselves."

The homeless man smiled, and I tried not to shudder. "You know, you're never completely without friends. You kids need a train going west?"

"Yes, sir," Percy said gratefully before I could deny it. I was almost grateful that the boy did not give me the chance to- my pride could remain intact, and hopefully, this method of travel would be warm for Thalia.

The man pointed to a shiny new train loaded with automobiles. "That's... convenient," Thalia said with a small laugh, seeming to say _How did we not notice that?_ "Thanks... uh..."

I looked back to where the man was, and noticed that he had vanished. Glancing back to the train, I noticed the logo on the side: Sun West Line.

_Lord Apollo._

I offered up a silent prayer of thanks and walked over to it. Percy and Grover jumped on, racing to find the "coolest" cars. I helped Bianca up, then Thalia. "I suppose we shall pick a vehicle. Thalia, would thou care to join Bianca and me?"

Thalia looked at me, then at my sister Hunter. "No," she said flatly, and headed after the boys.

_What was that about? I thought that our disagreement was over, and yet she seems to be angered? What have I done wrong?_

I sighed. "Come, Bianca. Let us find a place to sleep."

We climbed to the top deck and found a vehicle that was not too fancy that we could sleep in. Before long, we felt the lurch of the train as it started west. Bianca and I talked freely, though not about my suspicions about the monster, about my family, or the mission. We spoke as friends. I only wished that Thalia would have joined us.

As though to respond to my wish, there came a knock on the driver's side door. I looked up eagerly. It was but Grover the satyr, an eager expression on his face. I suppressed a groan. "Please go away," I asked.

"What?" he shouted. "I can't hear you!"

Louder, I ordered "Away!"

"Play? Yes, ma'am!"

Within a few seconds, horrible music was sprouting from a set of pipes... and poison ivy was sprouting from the vehicle. "Bianca, let us go!" I said, opening a back door. Together we raced towards the next car. Grover followed, and I punched him in the face. "I said away! You have almost caused a severe allergic reaction to the poison ivy! Does thou not realize that most are allergic to it?"

He ran off, back towards Percy. Bianca and I settled into another car. I was too tired and too deep in thought to continue talking, so we prepared to sleep instead. Before long, we had both dozed off.

_The wind whistled in my ear. I could tell an arrow had just come by. My brain told me to reach for my own weapon, but something... something made me laugh. "Nice try, Amaryll," I said, and I did not sound like me._

_I turned, and a Hunter was standing there, though not one I recognized. She... Amaryll?... looked a little old compared to the others, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She was flanked by two other Hunters that I did not recognize. Amaryll laughed. "That wasn't me, lieutenant," she giggled. "It was Erika."_

_My head tilted, my hands landed on my waist. "Erika..."_

_Another girl rolled her eyes. "Geez! I was just trying to goof off."_

_"Well, we've got a recruiting mission going on. And then maybe we should head to NYC. Depends on what Artie thinks."_

_"Artie?" a voice said from behind me. Again, I turned, this time to face Lady Artemis._

_She did not look as though she had been chained, trapped. She looked whole and healthy, though worried. I chuckled. "Well, I told you that saying 'Lady Artemis' was a mouthful. You told me I could call you by something shorter."_

_"Yes, my Hunter, I did. But Artie?"_

_I shrugged. "It seemed like a good nickname at the time."_

_"Well, I think you have learned better now. Anyway, my lieutenant... I have a job for you. I must join my brother and sister gods in Olympus once again, and from there, likely continue on to the war that is beginning. I need you to lead the Hunters to New York, as you mentioned."_

_"Aye aye, ma'am," I said, saluting._

_"Do well. Do as I would," Artemis smiled._

_I began to walk away, the Hunters following me. After a few steps, I paused and turned. "Lady Artemis?" I asked._

_"Yes?"_

_I looked into her eyes. "Does it bother you that I'm so different than Zoë?"_

_Artemis frowned. "No. You are different people. You bring different things. But change is good, necessary. Zoë was formal, traditional, the ideal Hunter. You are modern, friendly, headstrong and willful. Maybe you are what the Hunters need to become. Yes, Zoë was the finest of my attendants... you heard that. But that does not mean you are bad."_

_"She was better, though."_

_Artemis put her hand on my shoulder. "She was best when she lived. You are the Hunter of today. Do not falter, Thalia; it will be your fall."_

_Thalia?_

I awoke with a shock. Thalia... the lieutenant attendant of Artemis, my successor? This was the proof I needed... in this mission, I would die. And, in this mission, I would succeed.

Bianca still slept soundly. The radio blared from Thalia's car, new music that I did not know. I quietly opened the door of my own vehicle and began to creep down to her, wanting to say something, anything.

I got to her car, which was easy to find with the music so loud. I knocked on the door.

Thalia opened it, still screaming the lyrics. Her eyes fell on me and they narrowed. "Oh. Zoë. What do you want?"

I took a deep breath. "This," I whispered, and I kissed her soft lips carefully.


	9. I Attend Camp Away From Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which romance is had, laughs are shared, friendships are celebrated, and the party is nearly killed. Twice.

"Oh, Zoë. What do you want?"

Zoë took a deep breath. "This," she said in a voice softer and more unsure than I had ever heard her use in my time with her.

And then, we were kissing.

At first, it was a bit uncomfortable. Mentally uncomfortable because _Oh my gods Zoë's lips are on mine and that's something that hasn't happened in seven years and wow, she seems nervous and wow, I'm nervous and do I want this or do I want her to stop should I kiss back what in Hades are we even doing oh shit oh shit oh shit._ Physically uncomfortable because she was leaning down into the car to kiss me and I was straining upwards and I managed to bump my head. I shimmied over into the passenger's side.

Zoë looked hurt as I moved. "Was that a mistake?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No it wasn't, stupid. I'm trying to make room for you."

Her lips parted in a silent "oh," and she got into the car. For a moment, we just sat there. I figured that Zoë was too embarrassed to begin kissing me again. So I took it up.

One hand propped me up in my seat as we kissed, and the other was on her back (yes, over her shirt. And over her jacket. Geez!). Even through the Hunter winter uniform, I could tell her skin was smoother than mine, more beautiful, just like her face. If I hadn't been so focused on the fact that I was kissing her again and it was better than I remembered, maybe I'd have been jealous.

After a few moments of soft, innocent kisses, I opened my mouth, just a bit. She followed... and so did her tongue.

I lost all sense, it seemed, except for the burning, wonderful, impossible feeling of having her to hold and kiss. And lust to go further. But specifics were lost to me... I couldn't tell you now what she tasted like, what we did, how long we were kissing. It seemed like forever. It seemed like we could go an eternity doing this if we wanted to.

We _could_ go an eternity if we wanted to. I knew what I had to do, what I had been avoiding. When we found Artemis, I would make my pledge. And Zoë and I would live happily ever after. Just like we should have seven years ago.

Zoë was the one who stopped, her kisses regressing from the incredible, full of feeling kisses that we had been engrossed in, and moving back towards the soft, careful kisses. Eventually, she just pulled away. I saw that she was crying. "I am sorry, Thalia," she said.

"For what?"

"For kissing you without asking, for coming to you at all. It was... a weak thing to do. I had a bad dream, and I... you were the first person I wanted to come to for comfort. The only person."

I kissed her again- not anything sexy or lusty, just a comforting peck on the cheek. "Zo, I'm here. I'm here if you need me. Do you want to talk about your dream?"

"No."

"Okay." I took her hand. "It's okay to be weak, you know. Yes, you're a few thousand years old. But you're also fourteen. Sometimes you're going to be fourteen. You're not going know who you are, or where you're going. You're going to get scared. It will be hard to be brave. And I'm younger than you in terms of immortality, and not that much older physically, but I will tell you something. Things get better. Someday, you'll know exactly where you're going. I promise."

"But what if the problem is that you do know?" she asked.

"Then what that means is you've already begun to figure out how to deal with it." I took her hand. "And Zoë? I promise I'll be here with you every step of the way. This time, I will stay with you. I'm choosing right this time."

She looked deep into my eyes. I couldn't read her expression. "Promise me that," she ordered.

I nodded. "I pledge myself to the girlfriend-iness of Zoë Nightshade. I turn my back on the company of Luke Castellan, accept eternal kisses, and join her life. For good this time."

Zoë smiled. "Do not mock my goddess," she said, but this time I knew she was happy and only joking with me.

Suddenly, she put a finger to my lips. "Silence. Someone approaches."

I was amazed that she could tell that when the radio still blared Young the Giant, but I guess that was Hunter senses for you. Sure enough, as I dropped her hand, a knock came from the driver's side door. It was Bianca di Angelo.

Zoë opened the door and Bianca leaned in. "Zoë?" she asked. "What are you doing in here?"

"I could not sleep," the lieutenant said stiffly. "You were sleeping soundly, so I crept down to see Thalia."

"Oh. Well... it's morning now. And I think we're slowing down."

"You are right," Zoë nodded. "Let us roll up the metal curtains. Thalia, will thou join us?"

I nodded.

We rolled them up as the train stopped. I could see a sign bidding us "Welcome to Cloudcroft, New Mexico." It was cold, and I shivered, but Bianca and Zo seemed unaffected.

Percy and Grover walked drowsily down to where we stood. "Well," Percy said. "Guess we're going skiing."

"What?" I asked.

"This is a ski town. I think. I mean, normally ski towns have more snow, but..."

We hopped down from the train. Though the sign welcoming people to town was close by, the actual town was about a half a mile away. "Guess we better start walking," I muttered.

Grover and Percy raced ahead, Percy waving his hand and having the snow follow. I didn't know that his powers extended to snow. Yes, snow was water, and he was water based, but it was still incredible. It made me think of what I could do. I knew I could manipulate lightning... could that be extended to electricity? Could I power an appliance, or shut down a city? Zoë would know. I looked at her to ask, but she wasn't paying attention to me, or to the boys. She had her eyes on Bianca, who was chatting animatedly.

_Does she even get that I hate it when she does that?_ I mean... I didn't care that she was friends with Bianca. That was great. But I couldn't get the idea out of my head that there was something more between them! How was I to know that before Zoë came down and started kissing me that she wasn't doing the same with the twelve-year-old Hunter? I was living proof that twelve wasn't too young for Zoë... that's how old I was when we were in a relationship for the first time.

I snorted and began to walk, the only one on my own in the group.

When we got to the middle of Cloudcroft, I saw what I hadn't from the train station- the town was really, really small. A small school that looked like it held every year from kindergarten to twelfth grade shined brightly down at us, even though the grounds were empty, the kids out for Christmas. There were several little tourist stops and some small cabins. A Wal-Mart stood in the center of it all. I looked around, taking it all in. "Great. No bus station, no taxis, no car rental. No. Way. Out."

"There's a coffee shop," Grover pointed out, as if he was trying to be helpful.

Zoë tried to hide laughter. "Yes. Coffee is good."

"And pastries, and wax paper!" the satyr added.

I sighed. "Fine, how about you two go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."

Zoë looked at me, her face saying _Is thou insane?_ I knew that this was about sending her and Grover in a team, and Bianca in the other. I kept my face clear of thought or emotion. Better that she didn't know I was a little bit jealous. "We'll meet in front of Wal-Mart in fifteen. Is that clear?"

"Clear," Zoë grumbled.

"Clear," echoed Bianca, Percy, and Grover.

I walked into Wal-Mart, not bothering to see if Percy and Bianca were following. I marched up to the cashier. "Okay, zit-face," I hissed. "What's the scoop on this town? And how do we get out?"

The teenaged clerk looked a little scared. "Um... this is Cloudcroft, New Mexico."

"Knew it."

"It's a ski town. The depression hit us hard. Nobody comes here anymore, mainly because there isn't enough snow to ski. And there's really no way out unless you've got a car. You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo. That's at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars."

"Hey, look!" Percy exclaimed. We all turned, and found him holding up some huge rubber rat. "These are only a dollar."

Bianca and I glared at him. Sheepishly, he bought one. As soon as he was done, I dragged him out of the store. "Wonderful," I grumbled when we were finally outside. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."

"But the clerk said..."

"I know!" I roared. "I'm checking anyway!"

I stomped down the street. As soon as Percy and Bianca were out of sight, I crept to the little indie coffee shop where Grover and Zoë were getting food. I looked in through the window.

Zoë looked pained. I could easily see why- Grover was chattering away as they stood in line. The cashier was rolling his eyes as well as he filled up five cups. When he was finished, he put a bag on the counter and stuffed it with muffins and cakes. I smiled sadly and started walking away.

I guess I just needed some time to myself. Time to figure out what in Hades had happened. Zoë and I had been kissing. And not just light, friendly kissing... not just "we used to be in a relationship" kissing. This was passionate, incredible, something I had never known or known to hope for. It was an explosion of feelings. My body still quivered in a a delightfully intense way when I thought of it.

But was this what I wanted? Zoë and I had already been through one nasty breakup. I had no reason, none at all, to believe that this fling wasn't leading in the exact same direction.

_"He will hurt and betray thou. Do not trust a hero," she pleaded desperately._

_My eyes narrowed, and then softened. Zoë didn't know Luke. She didn't know how noble he was, how honorable. He couldn't hurt me. He never would. We were meant to be together like Zo and I weren't. Yes, we loved each other, she and I. But who ever heard of two girls having a happily ever after? "He won't. I won't."_ Please believe me, _I thought desperately._

_"Why can't you just leave him? You are so... you are so stupid, Thalia Grace!"_

_I froze, hurt. There was no way not to be hurt. The pain continued on, but it changed from shock to anger._ _"And you're a stuck-up, no good bitch! I never want to see you again, Zoë Nightshade!"_

_I took a deep breath, surprised at myself. "I... I didn't mean that."_

_Her eyes shone wet with tears. "No, thou meant it. I can see it in thy eyes. Get thee gone, daughter of Zeus."_

"I didn't mean it," I pleaded now.

_Too little, too late._

I looked up. The sky was clear blue now, and the mountains looked beautiful. Calming. I took a deep breath and turned around, ready to head back.

As I began to walk, I saw them. Skeleton warriors. "Oh gods, no," I breathed. I sped up, racing towards Wal-Mart with all of my might.

When they were in sight, I called out. "Hey! I just..." Suddenly, I saw Grover, lying down, groaning. I skidded to a stop. "What's wrong with Grover?"

"I don't know, he collapsed!" Percy said. Grover groaned as if in agreement.

"Well, get him up!" I pulled out my spear and glanced behind me. Luckily, I couldn't see the skeletons. "We have to get out of here."

"Why?" Zoë questioned, handing me a cup of iced mocha, loaded down with whipped cream. _My favorite... she remembered?_

I shook off the thought. "Jack Skellington, party of who the hell knows how many. We have to bounce. Now."

Zoë nodded. "Let us go."

Percy pulled Grover up, and we ran as fast as we could to the end of town. It was a good news bad news situation. The bad news was that we weren't very fast, what with Grover acting like some fangirl. The good news was that we still managed to get to the end of town before I spotted the skeletons again. They were wearing police uniforms... complete with guns. Which they drew.

I tapped Aegis, and it grew to full form. I shoved it into full view of the skeletons, trying to use the power of the fake head of Medusa.

They didn't flinch.

Percy drew Anaklusmos; Zoë and Bianca made their bows magically appear. "Back up," I ordered, and our group tried to. However, as we did, two more skeletons appeared from behind us. One of them raised their cell phone and made a series of awful chattering noises. "What the hell..." I whispered.

"It's near," Grover groaned.

Percy looked confused, and I'm sure I looked the same. "It's here."

"No! The gift! The gift from the Wild!"

I shook off Grover's bizarre mumblings. "We'll have to go one-on-one. Four of them; four of us. Maybe they'll ignore Grover that way."

Zoë nodded. "Agreed."

"The Wild!"

Percy charged first, and the rest of us followed on our respective skeletons. I jabbed my spear through mine, to no avail. Quickly, I glanced at the others to see how they were dealing with the issue.

Zoë had not yet struck. She was perched on a tree somehow, like a lioness on a rock, stalking her prey. Her eyes followed the skeleton's every move, strategizing and planning.

Bianca was having issues, and was mainly using evasive maneuvers. She was good at it; the skeleton had not struck her yet.

Percy was being shot at. He fell to the ground. "Percy!" I screamed, my eyes filling with tears.

I stared down my skeleton. Oh gods, was he going to pay. I charged him, filled with new anger and aggression that I couldn't wait to get out.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy stand. _How in Hades...?_

On my other side, I heard crashing. _Are there more? We can't even handle the ones we have!_

A skeleton lunged at Bianca, and she stabbed him in the chest. He erupted into flames, leaving only ashes behind, like a vampire.

"How did you do that?" Zoë asked.

Bianca looked at her knife nervously. "I don't know. Lucky stab?"

"Well," the Hunter's lieutenant ordered, "do it again!"

Bianca tried, but the skeletons had moved too far away. They seemed almost afraid. "Plan?" Percy asked.

The ground rumbled. There would have to be more. I offered a quick prayer to my father, mainly thanks. We, I knew, were all goners. I wished I could hold Zoë's hand at the end.

"A gift," Grover said again.

Suddenly, the earthquake came crashing through the trees, into the road. It had apparently taken the form of a giant pig. The pig's eyes were angry, his tusks huge and pointy-looking. "REEEEEEEEEEET!" it squealed. It raked the skeletons up the road, destroying them effortlessly. For a moment, I was relieved. And then it turned on us.

I raised my spear, preparing to fight yet another losing battle, but Grover screamed "Don't kill it!"

The boar prepared to charge.

Zoë took a deep breath. "That's the Erymanthian Boar. I don't think we can kill it."

"It's a gift, a blessing from the Wild," Grover explained.

In response, the pig swung it's tusk and everyone but me had to dive for cover. "Yeah," Percy said sarcastically. "I feel blessed. Scatter!"

We did. The pig looked confused, and well, murderous. "It wants to kill us!" I exclaimed.

"Of course. It's wild!" Grover explained, as if that tiny fact made everything better.

Bianca was breathing heavily. "So how is that a blessing?"

As if offended, the boar charged at Bianca. She barely rolled under him, but luckily emerged unharmed.

"Keep moving!" Zoë ordered. We stayed scattered, Percy and I on one side and Zoë and Bianca on the other, Grover dancing all around playing his magical tusks. When the boar charged again, however, it was Perce and I he came after. I raised Aegis in defense, but it only seemed to make the boar angrier. Percy and I looked at each other and made a silent agreement: run.

The pig chased us over a large hill and onto a stretch of train tracks. Eventually, Percy found an escape: an old bridge, overlooking a large drop. _Not heights not now oh gods help me oh gods we're all gonna die._ "No!" I tried to convince myself.

"Come on! It'll hold our weight... probably."

It was the 'probably' part that bugged me in that sentence. "I can't!"

"Now!" Percy ordered.

I looked down. Bad idea.

Percy only gave me a weird look. Then he tackled me. I fell on Aegis, him on top of me, and we sledded on it. _I don't think Dad's gonna like this,_ I had time to think.

The boar had fallen into the gorge. We had some time. Thank the gods at least that had gone right.

Percy looked at me. "You're afraid of heights."

I tried not to look guilty. "Don't be stupid!"

Comprehension dawned on his face. "That's why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."

I took a deep breath and smoothed out my hair. "If you tell anyone," I said in as menacing a tone as I could manage, "I _swear..._ "

"No, no, that's cool," he laughed. "It's just... the daughter of Zeus, the lord of the sky, afraid of heights?"

I glared at him.

"Hellooooooooooooo?"

Grover's voice echoed from above. They had finally found us. "Down here!" Percy called.

Zoë, Bianca, and Grover looked down into the chasm. "Um, how do we get down there?" the younger Hunter questioned.

Zoë summoned her quiver and glanced into it. "I still have a zipline arrow. It is my last one, but tis necessary." And with that, she drew her bow and shot the arrow into the mountain above Percy and I. She attached the zipline thingy (what's it called? The thing you hang onto?) and motioned to her sister. "Bianca, thou first. And then the satyr. I shall follow."

The three other members of our party zipped down. When they were next to us, we stood for a moment and watched the giant pig struggle, trying to figure out how to use it. "A blessing of the Wild," Grover stated dumbly. I rolled my eyes.

Zoë, however, just nodded. "I agree. We must use it."

"Hold up." I put my hands out in a "stop" motion. "Explain to me _why_ you're so sure this pig is a blessing?"

"It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?" Grover explained.

I wasn't convinced, but Percy looked excited. "Fun! Like, pig cowboys!"

Grover nodded, a smile on his face. "We need to get aboard. I wish... I wish I had more time to look around, but it's gone now."

"What's gone?" Percy asked, a stupid look on his face. I rolled my eyes again. Percy had a bad tendency to forget Grover's life ambition- finding the god Pan, the lord of the Wild. I didn't see how he could forget. It was such a big part of Grover. Almost his destiny. I could feel it on him, and yet... Percy never seemed to be able to.

Grover jumped on the boar; then he whipped out his pipes and began to play. An apple twisted in front of the pig, just out of his reach. I immediately understood what Grover was doing. "Automatic steering. Great." And I flung myself on the pig as well, right behind my satyr friend.

It took a moment for Zoë and Bianca to follow, and then Percy. After that, it was about a minute before the pig got loose. Suddenly, we were flying on the back of a pig as he ran west. My butt began to ache almost immediately, and I was afraid to open my mouth at all lest some bug get in. We ended up riding until sunset, and slipping off as he ate a cactus- needles and all. As we tried to get away from it as fast as possible, it squealed and headed back to Cloudscroft. "It likes the mountains better," Percy joked.

I looked around the place where the pig dropped us off. It was a small town... a ghost town. It didn't look like anyone lived here anymore. The sign, proclaiming "Gila Claw, Arizona," was crooked and worn. The only buildings were a small post office, a house or two, and a taco shop that looked... well... old. "I can't blame it. Look."

"Whoa," Percy said. I was confused... what about Gila Claw was "whoa?"... until I saw he was looking into the distance at a massive pile of junk.

"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," I murmured. I glanced at Grover. "O don't suppose you have another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover sniffed the wind, trying to catch a scent and avoid wasting more acorns on a tracking spell. Eventually, unsatisfied, he fished out the seeds and threw them into the sand, playing a tracker's song. The spell began to work, and as it did, the satyr looked more and more worried. "That's us, those five little nuts right there."

"Which one is me?" Percy asked excitedly.

"The little deformed one."

I laughed and glanced at Zoë. Her face was perfectly serious, which made the joke all the funnier. That was one of my favorite things about her, her deadpan sense of humor. She could be saying the funniest thing in the world and not even smile. It was a gift that made me giggle time and time again.

Percy looked annoyed. "Oh, shut up."

"That cluster right there, that's trouble."

"A monster?" I inquired.

"I don't smell anything," he said nervously, "which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge..."

"Junk city," I finished. "Well, that's not creepy or anything. Camp now and overcome in the morning?"

My companions all looked at each other. "Agreed," they said in unison.

Zoë and Bianca pulled mattresses and sleeping bags from their packs, five of them. They set them in a circle, making it look like a setup for a ghost town slumber party. I giggled. "Hey, Percy," I said. "Grab some wood from that broken house. Grover, got any marshmallows?"

"Ate them all. And the bag."

"Damn it."

Percy returned with the wood, and we arranged it in the center of the beds. With a quick prayer, I zapped the pile, and it caught flame, warming the five of us nicely. We snuggled into our makeshift beds... and then the real fun began.

"The stars are out," Zoë commented contently.

Bianca sucked in air. "Amazing. I've never actually seen the Milky Way."

The lieutenant rolled over to face her sister. Her face was alight, pleased to be talking about her favorite subject- stars. "This is nothing. In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution."

"You talk like you're not human."

Zoë turned to face the interruption- Percy. _Oh, Percy,_ I thought. _They_ aren't.

I distinctly remembered learning that.

_"Hunters are not human. Nor nymph, nor god, nor titan, nor demigod or monster. We become other when we pledge. Our vices diminish, as do our temptations. It is... peaceful. Calm. Wondrous." Zoë smiled, the vision of the happiness she was trying to sell me. "You would enjoy it, my Thalia."_

_I shrugged. "Maybe. Calm's kind of boring."_

_"That is spoken by one who has never known it. I believe thou will someday. I feel it." She brushed my hair back. "I cannot wait for that day."  
_

_"Me neither. Anyway... you were saying?"_

_"Oh, yes. Some Hunters do still relate to the species they were. Phoebe calls herself a demigod, daughter of Ares. Rose, a human."_

_"What are... sorry, were... you?"  
_

_She paused for a moment. "The easiest explanation is that I was a nymph. But no more. I am a Hunter."_

She repeated that in the present. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"

"For _you_. Not _thee._ " I smiled as I corrected her.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "But you use _you_ at the end of a sentence."

"And for the end. No _thou,_ no _thee,_ just _you_."

"I hate this language!" she said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "It changes too often!"

_Oh please,_ I said with my facial expressions as I caught her eye. _If you had your way, we'd all be speaking Greek._

_It would be a lot easier that way, thou... sorry, you... cannot deny this._

_Maybe for demigods and certain Europeans. For everyone else..._

_There is only us in this world. You should attempt to learn Greek, Thalia. Besides your namesake, I mean._

_Flourishing. Like a flower._

_Like this love._

I looked away, suddenly a little bit shy. There was a moment of silence, then Grover sighed. "If only pan were here, he would set things right."

Zoë nodded. I could see sadness in her eyes. I wondered what put it there, my shyness, or Grover's hopes and dreams.

"Maybe it was the coffee," the satyr continued. "I was drinking coffee and the wind came. Maybe if I drank more coffee..."

"Grover," Percy said. "Do you really think that was Pan? I mean, I know you want it to be..."

"He sent us help!" Grover said. "I don't know how... or why. But it was his presence. After this quest is done, I'm going back to New Mexico and drinking a lot of coffee. It's the best lead we've gotten in two thousand years. I was so close."

The conversation died down. _Maybe I should ask about Bianca now,_ I thought. I was curious about how she killed the skeletons. I glanced at Zoë, silently pleading to be able to ask some questions of her sister.

Zoë nodded.


	10. I Eat The Tacos of the Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zoë and Thalia go on a date (of sorts), Thalia is jealous, and Ares is a jerk.

Thalia looked at me for permission to speak. It was odd to see her regard me as a leader. To me, she had always seemed stronger, even back when she was physically younger than me. I found it odd. I nodded my ascent, and she turned to Bianca.

"What I want to know is how you destroyed one of the zombies. There are a lot more of them somewhere. We need to figure out how to fight them."

Bianca looked uncomfortable. Thalia, however, was already in the mode of the inquisitive, unable to be stopped. I supposed Bianca saw that as well, for she offered a half-hearted answer. "I don't know... I just stabbed it and it went up in flames."

"Maybe there's something special about your knife," Percy guessed.

 _Silly boy. Thou knows nothing of a Hunter's weapons._ "It is the same as mine. Celestial bronze, yes, but mine did not affect the warriors in that way."

"Maybe you have to hit the skeleton in a certain spot," he guessed again. Even I had to admit that this was a likely possibility. If Achilles had his heel, it could be that these skeleton monsters had the same issue. But I glanced at Bianca, who looked so sad, and decided that we had best not pursue the topic.

"Never mind," I promised. ""We will find the answer. In the meantime, we should plan our next move." I pointed to the path we were destined to take. "When we get through this junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a road, we can hitchhike to the nearest city. I _think_ that would be Las Vegas."

"No! Not there!"

I looked at Bianca, who had gotten paler still. I felt my brow furrow. "Why?" I asked.

"I... I think we stayed there for a while. Nico and I... when we were travelling. And then, I can't remember..."

I saw Percy's head snap up, realization dawning in his eyes- of what, I didn't know. "Bianca," he said. "That hotel you stayed at... was it possibly called the Lotus Hotel and Casino?"

"How could you know that?"

Percy slapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh. Great."

"Wait, what is the Lotus Casino?" asked Thalia.

The male sighed. "A couple of years ago, Grover, Annabeth, and I got trapped there. It's designed so you never want to leave. We stayed for about an hour. When we came out, five days had passed. It makes time speed up."

"No! No!" Bianca said, shaking her head. "That's not possible!"

"You said somebody came and got you out," Percy said.

"Yes..."

"What did he look like? What did he say?"

"I... I don't remember! Please, I _really_ don't want to talk about this!"

I leaned forward, concerned. I didn't want to upset Bianca, but I knew that sometimes, one had to do things one didn't want for the good of oneself and one's sisters. "You said that Washington D.C. had changed when you went back last summer. You didn't remember the subway being there."

"Yes, but..."

She was crying now, and I nearly relented. But I knew I could not. "Bianca, can you tell me the name of the president of the United States right now?"

"Don't be silly. Barack Obama."

"And who was the president before that?" I pressed.

There was a long moment of silence. "Roosevelt?" Bianca guessed.

My eyes widened, and I swallowed. "Theodore? Or Franklin?"

"Franklin. F.D.R."

"Like F.D.R. Drive?" Percy said. If the situation had not been so grinned, I would have glared.

Instead, I just took Bianca's hands in mine, pressing gently. "Bianca- F.D.R. was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago."

She ripped her hands away. "That's impossible! I... I'm not that old!"

"It's okay, Bianca."

I turned to see Thalia smiling sadly at my sister. "The most important thing," she said, "is that you and Nico are safe. You made it out."

"But how?" Percy ruined the soft, caring mood with his useless curiosity. "We were only there for an hour and we barely escaped. How could you have escaped after being there for so long?"

"I told you, a man came and said it was time to leave. And..."

"But _who?_ Why did he do it?"

Bianca started to cry again, this time in soft, choking sobs, but nobody seemed to notice. As I looked up, I saw why. A car was rushing towards us, coming from nowhere out of the dark. "Run!" I said, and we all jumped out of our bags, getting out of the way as the sleek car, white as bone, pulled to a stop inches from Bianca, who hadn't moved at all.

The back door, next to Percy, opened, and I saw the sharp point of a sword caress his throat. Swiftly, I drew my bow, and I saw that despite her tears, Bianca had done the same, and was standing up next to me. We held our fire as a man got out of the car, his silver gleaming sword pushing Percy back, inch by inch. He looked vaguely familiar as he smiled cruelly. "Not so fast now, are you, punk?" he growled.

"Ares," Percy gasped.

 _Oh! That makes sense._ And as soon as I thought that, the god of war snapped his fingers, and my bow crumpled to the floor. I looked at Bianca and saw that the same had happened to her.

Ares pushed his sword into Percy's neck, drawing a small prick of blood. "This is a _friendly_ meeting," he said. "Of course, I'd _like_ to take your head for a trophy... but someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."

"What lady?" Thalia challenged. I looked into her eyes and saw her thoughts- she didn't want to seem weak in front of the god of war. I doubted that he was referring to her, though- Aphrodite was the most likely choice. I would have gambled on her being inside the sleek car.

Ares glanced over at my girlfriend with a smile. "Well well. I heard you were back. Thalia, Daughter of Zeus," he said as he pushed Percy away, making the boy land on his bottom, "You're not hanging out with very good company."

Thalia gave him a look that would have burned anyone besides a god. "What's your business, Ares? Who's in the car?"

He smiled, smug. "Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you, particularly not them." And he jutted his chin towards Bianca and me. "Why don't you all get some tacos while you wait? Only take Percy a few minutes."

I snapped my weapon up from the ground and aimed. "We will not leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares," I said. From her spot, I heard Bianca make a sound of agreement as she picked up her own weapon.

"Besides, the taco place is closed," Grover said.

Ares snapped his fingers once again, and I prepared myself for my weapon to drop. Instead, the taco stand suddenly illuminated and became a wonderfully delicious-smelling haven. "You were saying, goat-boy?" Ares said boredly.

Percy gritted his teeth, and through them, said, "Go on. I'll handle this."

We started for the taco stand, keeping an eye out for Percy until the door of the restaurant closed behind us.

As it did, a man approached us. "Welcome to Tacos Casa del Amor, would you like to try today's special, the Afrodita Carnitas?"

Grover was nodding frantically, but I put my arm out. "Tacos Casa del Amor. The Taco House of Love. Best we keep with waters all around."

The man shook his head with a smile. "Upon the River Styx, I swear that none of this food has been spelled with love- for, my angel, you are not food."

I reached out to slap him, but Thalia was in front of me already, kicking the man in the loins. He crumpled to the ground, and she smiled down at him. "We'll take ten tacos, two each for the girls and four for the goat. I trust service will be quick?"

The man groaned.

The four of us gathered around a small table. "So," Bianca said. "What now?" I was pleased to see that she had wiped her tears and composed herself, as a Hunter should.

"Well, we'll have to face the junkyard..." Thalia said, but Bianca cut her off.

"I mean, what do we do while we're here? Why can't we go rescue Percy, he could be in trouble! When are the tacos going to come?"

I sighed. "Bianca, we are defenseless against two gods, mere ants in their path. Percy shall not be harmed, I am sure of it. Let us relax and recuperate."

She fidgeted. I could tell she did not like this plan. However, I was the lieutenant of Artemis, for now, at least. I was the one who would call the shots. "Fine," she said, "but if we're just going to sit here and talk, then tell me something."

"Yes?"

"What is going on between you and Thalia?"

My eyes widened and I looked at the young woman sitting next to me. Thalia looked annoyed, as though it was horrible that Bianca asked anything. "She's my girlfriend," the daughter of Zeus said hotly. "Now, what's going on between you and Zoë?"

It was Bianca's moment to widen her eyes, shocked. "She's the lieutenant of Artemis, and my best friend. There's nothing going on between us!"

"Yeah," Thalia scoffed, "sure. That's why you're always together."

"Exactly," Bianca said. "What, did you think that when I swore off boys, I became gay or something?"

"I never thought so," Grover said. His tone was helpful even when his comment wasn't.

The man came around with our tacos, still groaning softly. Still, though, he hung around after the food was passed out- possibly waiting for a tip. He scampered off when Thalia glared at him, her bright blue eyes chilly as ice. "Well it isn't impossible," Thalia said after a moment. "Or maybe you always were."

"Well I wasn't, and I'm not. I mean it isn't ancient Greece anymore!"

"But it is modern day America. Maybe you're too old to comprehend, Bianca, but homosexuality isn't taboo anymore!"

Bianca looked startled, almost as if she were about to cry. I could see Thalia soften. "That... that was over the line. I'm sorry."

Bianca looked away. "No. You're right. I'm not ready for all this modern stuff. Maybe I can't really remember my old life, but I don't think that means that it isn't still in me." She touched one hand to her heart. "Inside, I'm still Bianca di Angelo from the thirties, fourties, whatever. And that's left it's mark. Maybe that's why the Hunters are so good for me. We're all displaced in time. Except for Jenn. Six years is nothing."

I laughed in agreeance. "You're perfect for us, Bianca," I said. "I promise."

I picked up my taco. Grover was already on his third, but none of us girls had even started. "To the Hunters, lost in time," I toasted.

"To best friends... and to girlfriends," said Thalia.

"To Zoë and Thalia. I think that two girls dating is weird, but really, you two are kinda cute." Bianca blushed as she, too, raised her taco. We tapped the three together and then took a bite in unison.

Then the world began to spin and the food disappeared from our hands. The disorienting tornado only lasted a split second, but it made me dizzy. I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them, the four of us stood with Percy in the middle of a junkyard, balancing on scraps of metal.

"Hey," Grover said suddenly. "I didn't get to finish my tacos!"

* * *


End file.
